Seeking Comfort
by vrboyett
Summary: When an argument between JJ and Will becomes physical, she seeks comfort from the man that she now knows was meant for her all along. Cheesy, I know, but I promise I don't make JJ a sniveling victim. Please read and review so I know if i should continue!
1. Chapter 1

_Get it together, JJ. Will is a good guy, he was just mad and acting like an idiot. It's no reason to lose it and ruin a relationship that's been going fine for six months now,_ JJ thought as she stood in her bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. Her cheekbone was a hot pink where Will had slapped her. She couldn't tell if it would bruise yet, but she suspected it might. Mostly she noticed the frightened look in her eyes that had never been there before.

He had gotten mad before, said some things he didn't mean, but this was the first time it had ever gotten physical. The logical part of her knew it would only be downhill from here, because rarely did relationships recover after violence, but the emotional, irrational part of her said she had to hide it, because he didn't mean it and it wouldn't happen again. _Why make a big deal out of a one -time thing?_ Even as she thought it, she wasn't convinced. With shaky hands, she opened her make-up drawer and pulled out her foundation, concealer, and powder—products she usually used conservatively.

Before she could start covering the pink, her cell phone rang, shattering the silence that was the only thing keeping her together. She took a deep breath and choked back hysteria before answering.

"Agent Jureau," she said in her work voice. She could hear the edge of a tremor in her voice, but she hoped that it wasn't quite as obvious to the caller.

"JJ, we have a case. Can you be here in thirty minutes?" Hotchner asked, his voice professional and husky as ever. Thirty minutes? Was that enough time for it to look normal? She doubted it, but it wasn't like she could tell him she couldn't make it.

"Absolutely, sir," she said. She hung up after that, focusing on the task at hand. She found that focusing on the task was making her calmer, so she put all her mental energy into it. She smeared a layer of foundation over her reddened cheek bone, wincing from the pressure. Blending to the best of her ability, she wasn't impressed with the results. It was a lighter shade a pink, but it was still obvious. Next the concealer, then the powder. The finished product wasn't perfect, but it'd have to do because she was running out of time to get to work. She let her hair down from her bun and brushed through it with her fingers. Having her hair down brought less attention to her face and gave her a better chance of passing without notice. Squaring her shoulders she went down the stairs to face Will once again. She would not let him the see the fear she was feeling.

"Will, I have to go in to work," she said from the kitchen as she grabbed her jacket from the hall closet. He was sitting in the living room, but after JJ told him he got up and came into the kitchen, standing a good distance away from her. JJ wouldn't look at him at first, focusing instead on packing food into a small lunch bag.

"JJ, look at me," he said, his voice gentle and in such contrast to how he had sounded earlier. JJ steeled her nerves and looked at him unwaveringly, trying to look confident even though she felt like crawling into a hole, anything, so long as it was away from him. He walked forward and brushed the hair out of her face, gently running a thumb over her swollen cheek.

"I'm so sorry. I just got mad, I don't know what I was thinking," he said, looking sincere and deeply apologetic. Even though there was no suggestion of anger in Will's movements, JJ couldn't help feeling threatened by his nearness.

"It's ok, I understand," she said. She was convincing herself that if she didn't turn it into a big deal, then it wasn't a big deal. If she just stayed calm, he would stay calm and everything would go back to normal. Will gently placed a hand under her chin and kissed her on the lips. It felt like every other time they had kissed—loving, honest, comforting.

In the car, JJ focused on the road and choked back the tears she had refused herself earlier. Will acting so calm, like nothing had happened, made it harder for her to categorize him as a danger. He had said he was sorry, and he looked like he meant it. It probably wouldn't happen again, there was no reason to freak out. She wondered how many times she would tell herself that before she believed it.


	2. Chapter 2

She hurried into the conference room with her briefing files, and nearly jumped out of her skin when Reid was already sitting at the table. He was the absolute last person she wanted to run into first. Not because she didn't like him—in fact, she liked him a little too much seeing as how she had a boyfriend and all that. But he was the hardest person for her to lie to. First of all, he was a profiler which made it nearly impossible anyway. Secondly, he was one of her closest friends. She felt guilty not telling him the truth, but how could she? Then there was the third reason. JJ had always had a crush on Reid. They went on that date, but neither of them tried for another one. It wasn't like the date when poorly. In fact, JJ had had a lot of fun. She was slightly annoyed when Spencer didn't approach her for another, but she had gotten over. He was a smart, attractive guy. What would he want with her anyway? Then she had met Will, and she had forced herself to stop looking at Reid that way. Or at least, she had tried.

"Hey, Reid," she said, setting her briefing files on the table and avoiding eye contact.

"Hey, how are you?" he asked. She heard him sit his book down on the table, but she continued to flip through papers like there was something important in them. There wasn't, but she thought that if she kept her gaze from his he'd be less likely to see through her lies.

"I'm good," she said, hearing the hesitation in her own voice before she said "good". She realized that avoiding his gaze was actually a dead giveaway, seeing that he was a profiler and those were the types of things that he looked for. She looked up at him and tried to give him the most genuine smile she could muster, but she noticed the smallest change in his expression that led her to believe he hadn't believed her. He opened his mouth, as though he were about to ask her a question she wouldn't be able to answer. Luckily, Emily walked through the door carrying a coffee and her jacket, and took a seat next to Reid at the table.

"Hey guys," she said, offering one of her easy smiles and breaking the tension that had just started to rise. JJ replied with a smile of her own, and as though on cue the rest of the team arrived, leaving no time for Reid to worry about her.

Three days later, they were all sitting on the jet heading home from Philadelphia. They had just closed a case involving a serial killer with an affinity for young adults. It had been rough, as usual, and the team was taking the time on the jet to unwind. JJ hadn't gotten a chance to call Will much over the trip, but she had two voice mails waiting for her that she was worried about listening too. Usually he sent her a text message if she didn't answer. She looked around the cabin at her team. Hotchner was dutifully pouring over paper work. Derek had fallen asleep listening to her MP3 player, his headphones askew on his head. Emily was deep in the middle of a thick book. Reid was nowhere to be seen. Now was a good a time as any to listen to it.

Taking a deep breath, JJ called her voicemail and dialed in the code. The first message was from the day before, and sounded fairly normal. It was a little terser than usual. "Hey babe. Just wondering why I haven't heard from you…I miss you." He sounded tense, but otherwise it was fairly normal. She deleted that one and moved to the next one.

Will's voice slurred, and he was yelling harshly about JJ being stupid, and unappreciative of everything he had done for her. Her mouth had fallen open, and she didn't hear Reid come out of the bathroom until he announced his presence with a simple hey. JJ closed her phone quickly so he wouldn't hear the yelling in the message and gave him a smile.

"Hey, Spence," she said, scooting over so he had room to sit down next to her. He took a seat and gave her a quizzical expression.

"Are you ok?" he asked. She blinked a couple times, trying to phrase a response that wouldn't sound so fake, especially after the message she had just listened to.

"Yeah, of course. It was just a hard case," she said, noticing that her voice was a little too high at first and bringing it down accordingly. She made sure to keep up the eye contact so that maybe he would remain in the dark.

"Ah," Spencer said, giving her an unconvinced nod. It didn't pass JJ's notice, but she pretended that it did.

"How about you? How are you holding up?" she asked, bumping his arm with her elbow. Spencer smiled at her and nodded.

"I'm fine. Murder involving children is becoming more common in the US. Between the year 1976 and 1994 approximately 37,000 children were murdered in the US alone. In most cases, however, the offender involved—"

JJ let him ramble on about gruesome facts involving murdered children only because it kept her from having to talk about herself. Spencer caught himself and stopped mid-sentence.

"Sorry, I'm sure you don't want to talk about the case," he said, rubbing his hands on his cords.

"No, it's fine. It's interesting," she said. As soon as she said it Reid got a suspicious look.

"You usually can't stand my random statistical facts, are you sure nothing's wrong?" he asked, making a joke out of it. JJ laughed. A real laugh, she didn't have to force it. She looked a Reid then. Really looked at him. His genuine smile, his blue eyes that looked like an abyss of knowledge. The way he kept nervously jiggling his leg and wiping his hand on his cords every once in a while. God, how could she have been so stupid to not pursue him after that first date? She settled back into her seat and leaned her head back, watching Spencer's animated expression as he continued to quote statistics. It wasn't the information she was listening to. It was his voice.

When they got back to the BAU, instead of racing home like usual, JJ lingered in the break room, filling a cup of coffee at a leisurely pace. She was so out of it that she didn't here Emily come into the room.

"I figured you'd be speeding off to get back to Will," she said with her usual smile. JJ jumped when she spoke, but then returned the smile to the best of her ability. It was late, she had no excuse ready for why she wasn't running home to her boyfriend.

"I just couldn't resist the call of the coffee," JJ said, attempting casual but coming off forced. Emily raised an eyebrow with a smirk as she poured herself a Styrofoam cup the liquid.

"Really? I always thought you said the coffee here tastes like tar," Emily said with a laugh, dumping three packets of splenda into her cup. JJ refrained from snapping, because Emily would see through it instantly and she would not give up as easily as Reid had. JJ smiled an amused grin.

"It's better than in Philadelphia," she said, smiling and turning to face Emily. Emily laughed and nodded in agreement. When she looked up, the fluorescent light for once revealed something that was worth being seen. There was a pinkish spot on JJ's right cheek bone that she hadn't noticed while they had been busy with the case. Emily Prentiss was smart though. She drew her attention away from it immediately and laughed about the coffee so that JJ wouldn't shut her out immediately.

JJ's phone blared a ring tone, and the only person who would be calling her at midnight is Will. Emily was confused when JJ didn't pick it up automatically like she always did. Instead, JJ leisurely fished her phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. _I can't answer this in front of Emily if Will is going to yell at me again. She'll hear it,_ JJ thought, considering whether she should answer the call or not. If she did, she might be pleasantly surprised and Will might be apologizing. But usually apologies after violent messages didn't happen at midnight. JJ clicked the button on the side of her phone to stop the ringer.

"Telemarketer?" Emily joked, taking a sip of her coffee and cringing before adding more cream.

"No, just Will. I'm about to leave, so I'll just call him in the car," JJ said, slipping her phone back into her pocket. Emily nodded, but she wasn't convinced. Trouble in paradise? It would be like JJ to not bring it up. She wasn't much of a talker when it came to her personal life.


	3. Chapter 3

When JJ got up to her and Will's apartment, she didn't open the door right away. Instead, she took a deep breath to ready herself for whatever was on the other side of the door. She hadn't finished listening to the voice mail that he had left, so she had no idea what frame of mind he was in. After she squared her shoulders and gave herself a pep talk, she pushed her key into the door and walked in. Maybe if she just acted perky enough he wouldn't be so mad. _JJ, listen to yourself. Do you realize how idiotic you're being?_

"Will?" she called out, setting her briefcase in the kitchen chair. She heard a rustling in the bedroom and Will appeared as she was taking off her jacket.

"Where were you? You didn't answer your phone," he said. She could smell the alcohol on him and he wasn't even standing that close. That was a discouraging fact.

"I was driving when you called, I didn't want to get pulled over," she said, giving him the best smile she could. He narrowed his eyes at her, clearly suspicious. Even though she was horrified of what he might do, she walked forward and draped her arms around his shoulders, giving him a delicate kiss on the cheek. She had to sell it.

"I'm so happy to see you," she said. She could hear the lie in her voice but she hoped since he was drunk he wouldn't notice. He did. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back harshly. The only thing that kept her from falling onto the ground was running into the counter full force, which she quickly grabbed to steady herself.

"Stop it! Lies don't look good on you, just like everything else," he said, giving her a disgusted sneer.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, sounding like she had no idea what he was talking about. She tried to ignore the other comment, knowing that he only said to break her down. She wouldn't let him get in her head. _You're still here. Hasn't he already gotten into your head?_

"Late nights at the office? Not calling to check in while you're on the case? It's that boss of yours, isn't it? You're fucking him, you slut," he said, spitting the words callously as he got closer to her. His breath reeked of booze and his finger was jabbing in her face. She attempted not to flinch but she couldn't help it. This wasn't like him. She had never heard him say the things he was saying. He never even said those things about anybody else.

"No, Will, of course not! I would never do that to you," she said, trying to calm him down.

"Don't lie to me, whore!" he yelled, emphasizing the insult with a hard backhand. JJ's head snapped to one side, and her brain spun from the pain that laid across the bruise she already had. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she could hardly get the courage to straighten up again and look him in the eye. She could taste blood in her mouth from where her lip knocked into her teeth. She finally straightened up and looked at him.

"You're drunk, maybe we should talk about this tomorrow," she said, trying to move past him. He reached out and grabbed her upper arm, slamming her back into the counter. Pain jarred her back where it connected and she winced noticeably.

"Oh, what? The big, tough FBI agent can't handle it? I bet this isn't half as rough as that boss gives it to you," he said, shaking her by her arm. He used his other hand to slap her across the face again. JJ could hardly keep standing. A slap from a man is so much stronger than a slap from a woman. A slap from a woman JJ could endure relentlessly, but with how heavy Will's hands were she didn't know how much more she could take. He was cutting off circulation to her hand with how hard his grip was. She thought of her gun, but it was in her briefcase across the room.

"Will, please," she said, looking at him pleadingly, trying to keep the trembling from her lip. He let go of her arm and turned the other way.

"Get out of my sight. I can't even look at you," he said, the repulsion evident on his face. JJ walked briskly to the bedroom and into the master bathroom, shutting the door and locking it behind her. Once she was safely locked away she let the tears fall, streaming down her stinging cheeks. She leaned against the wall and slid down until she was sitting.

When had she turned into the girl that let a guy hit her a stuck around? When did she become so weak? But where else would she go? Her and Will had moved in together. She had nowhere else to stay. There was the team, but she didn't want them to know what was going on. It wasn't like her to bring her private life to work. Emily, though. She would keep it quiet for her, right? JJ felt in her pocket, but her cell phone was in her jacket which was in the kitchen. Feeling completely lost, she reached up and turned the light switch off, laying on the floor in the fetal position and letting the tears fall. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until the knocking on the bathroom door woke her up.

"JJ? Honey?" Will asked through the door. JJ glanced up at the digital clock and saw that it was three in the morning.

"Baby, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he said. JJ could tell he was standing right outside. She didn't know whether or not to respond. "Will you just come to bed? We can talk about it tomorrow."

She flicked on the light and narrowed her eyes to keep the it out at first. Trying not to stutter she responded.

"Sure, I'm just going to wash up and then I'll be out," she said, trying to sound convincing. To her ears, she failed, but Will bought it. He gave her a pathetic sounding "ok" and then she heard the bed creak with his weight. She got off the floor and looked in the mirror. Her make-up was smudged down her face and her right cheek was swollen. There was a split in her lip with bruising around the edges, and the side of her eye looked swollen. There was no way she could go to work tomorrow, looking like this, but there was also no way she could stay in this house with Will all day tomorrow. _Tomorrow is Monday, he has to go to work,_ she thought, finding some solitude in that thought.

She unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it off, seeing the bruises on her arm and shuddering. She looked like a victim, and she hated that thought. She turned in the mirror to see that the counter had left a bruise on her hip and lower back. Without looking in the mirror the rest of the time, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pulled on her pajamas. She took another deep breath and counted to ten before she left the bathroom and went into the bedroom.

JJ didn't sleep at all. Will was spooning her in his sleep and she was laying completely still, breathing deeply as though she were unconscious. She just kept staring at the clock, counting the hours until he would get up to go to work. He had to get up earlier than she did, so she was going to pretend to be asleep until he left. She wasn't sure what she would do once she was alone. Her mind kept vacillating between calling Emily to tell her or just calling in sick so no one bothered her. She couldn't stay here like this.

Six o'clock finally rolled around and Will's alarm went off. She shifted a tiny bit when he got up, but other than that she kept her breathing steady and her eyes glued shut. It took him about thirty minutes to get ready for work, and when she heard from the front door shut she jumped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. Her jacket was hanging on the back of the kitchen chair, and she quickly fished her cell phone out. She was going to call Emily before she could talk herself out of it. The other line had just started to ring when Will opened the door again. JJ jumped and turned around. Emily answered but JJ shut her phone quickly. It would have been wiser to pretend someone had called her, but she didn't have time to think. There was no way to cover how guilty and scared she looked.

"I forgot my coffee," Will said, looking at JJ suspiciously. JJ realized she must look panicked, so she tried to smile.

"My phone rang, but they hung up," she said, giving him a weak smile. Her phone rang as though on cue, Emily calling back. She grabbed it off the table to answer it casually but before she could open it Will smacked it out of her hand and grabbed her by throat, pushing her into the wall forcefully. JJ choked and gasped, dizzy from her head connecting with the wall so hard.

"Is that Hotchner? Calling to see how soon he can come over?" he asked, speaking just a centimeter away from her face. JJ tried to keep calm and answer, but when she tried to speak he slammed her head into the wall again. Her vision blurred.

"Don't," he said. Her phone rang again, this time it was Reid's ringtone. Will recognized it because he was there when JJ set it. Hearing it turned his eyes dark and a menacing smile came onto his face.

"Oh, I get it. It's not the boss you're after," he said angrily. He threw JJ to the ground by the throat. Instinctively, JJ tried to catch herself, jamming her wrist hard and falling anyway. JJ knew that this wouldn't just be a smack here or there. If she was on the ground, it would be so much worse. She attempted to scramble to her feet, but her socks slipped on the hardwood floor and she landed on her knees, giving Will the perfect opportunity to kick her in the ribs.

Her head slammed into the ground, her eyebrow splitting, the wind knocking right out of her and she was gasping to pull in another breath when Will kicked her again, this time hitting her more in the hip. He was moving his foot back to kick her again when his work phone rang. He answered it in a calm collected voice. That almost scared her more than anything else. The way he was suddenly so calm.

"We'll finish this later," he said. He grabbed her phone off the table and took it with her, leaving her with no one to call. He slammed the door after him. JJ stayed on the ground, crying and catching her breath, assessing her injuries for about an hour. Her wrist hurt when she moved it, but it was probably fine. Her eyebrow had split, her lip had split, and her nose was bleeding. She prodded her rib delicately and, even though it hurt it didn't feel broken. Maybe cracked. Next she pushed on her hip bone. Definitely bruised, but that's it. By this point, she was sure that he was really gone. There was only one thing to do since she didn't have anyone to call.

She stood up slowly, taking her time to stand up straight. Her hip and rib ached, so it took her some time to get up. She hurried into the bedroom as fast as she could and grabbed her go bag from the closet. She opened the side pouch, poured her jewelry box into it, and then packed it with as much clothes as it would hold. She picked it up and winced. Her whole body was sore. Once she was in the kitchen, she grabbed her keys, briefcase, jacket, and slipped on shoes before she left the apartment. Yes, she was still wearing her pajamas, but she didn't care. Something had clicked in her head. She wasn't a stupid, victimized woman who was too scared to leave her abusive boyfriend. That just wasn't her.

Once she was down to her black SUV she didn't know where she was going, she just knew she had to go somewhere. She didn't know where Emily lived, and with no phone she had no way to ask. It felt inappropriate to go to Hotch's house in this condition. There was only one person she wanted to see right now, and he lived twenty minutes away. She remembered that Hotch had given them the day off because the last case was so strenuous.

Reid was sitting on his sofa, reading, when there were three knocks on his door. It was eight in the morning, who would be knocking on his door? He sat his mug of coffee down on the end table and hurried to the door. He checked through the peep hole and upon seeing JJ standing on his door step with a bloodied nose, he ripped the door open. JJ's lip and nose were bleeding, there was a good sized bruise on her right cheek—enough that it had slightly swollen the bottom of her eye—and she wasn't standing all the way straight. JJ gave him the meekest smile, trying to erase how wide and worried his eyes looked.

"Hey, Reid. Can I come in?" she asked. Reid immediately moved out of the way to let her in, and he observed carefully as she walked in, carrying her weight strangely and holding a hand to her side.

"Of course. Go sit down," he said, pointing her in the direction of the couch. She didn't need to be told twice and she slowly made her way to Reid's overstuffed sofa, feeling the gravity of the situation now that she had some distance from it. Reid popped into his kitchen, wetting a couple paper towels in the sink and grabbing an ice pack from the freezer. He hurried back into the living room to sit next to JJ on the couch, but he sat down carefully, not wanting to jostle her.

"JJ, what happened?" he asked, folding the wet paper towels carefully. JJ felt tears well up in her eyes but she choked them down, not wanting to cry in front of Reid. She wanted to be strong, but that wasn't at all how she was feeling right then. She swallowed before answering, wording things carefully even though it didn't really matter.

"Lately, Will has been getting…angry," she said, avoiding eye contact with Reid. Reid felt anger swell in his chest to think that someone had laid a hand on the woman he loved. He slowly reached out and tilted her chin up, looking at her bruised cheek and bloodied face. JJ could see the disapproval in his eyes and even though she knew it wasn't directed at her, she felt ashamed. He reached forward with one of the wet paper towels and JJ reached up to take it from him, but he avoided her grabbing hand.

"Just…let me. Ok?" he asked. She didn't argue. She just sat her hand back in her lap. Reid was so gentle it broke JJ's heart. It was such a contrast to her past couple days. He scooted a little closer, carefully dabbing at the blood around JJ's eyebrow, and then moving down to her nose. The bleeding had stopped, there was just dried remnants to clean up.

"When did this start?" he asked, focusing on the task at hand so that JJ didn't feel pressured. He realized his voice sounded clinical and cold, so he met her gaze to show her that there was warmth in his eyes.

"Just before we left for the case. It was just once at first. He just slapped me. He seemed so guilty and apologetic. I brushed it off, trying to…I don't know, ignore it, I guess. But when we got back last night he was drunk and so angry," she said, trailing off when a tear slipped. Reid had finished wiping the blood away.

"JJ, I know this isn't what you want to think about right now, but…we should take pictures of the evidence. In case you decide to press charges," he said. He didn't add that if she didn't press charges he would find a way to do it himself. She didn't need that right now. He wanted to hold her. To pull her into his arms and make her feel safe. He knew she didn't see him the way he wished she did, but he could at least be there for her as a friend. More tears fell and JJ looked down at her hands and then back up at Reid.

"Reid, I don't want to be treated like a victim," she said, shaking her head. Reid gathered his confidence and reached out, wrapping his hand around her small delicate palms.

"I'm not going to say you have to. It's your choice. But if you press charges, which I really hope you do, the pictures will make it a lot easier," he said. To his surprise, JJ turned her hand over and held onto Reid's hand, gripping to the comfort that he provided. He had always been a source of comfort for her, also a source of heartache every time she looked at him and realized she could have had him. After a long pause, JJ nodded, agreeing to the pictures.

Reid went into his room and grabbed his camera off his dresser. His heart felt broken as he thought about the emotional and physical pain his JJ was suffering. He was furious. Originally, when JJ got with Will he thought "that's ok. Will is a great guy, and he'll be better for JJ than I could be". That was how he had justified letting her go. But now, finding out he had been so wrong, made him angrier than he could ever remember being in his life.

"Ok," Reid said. JJ gathered her courage and pushed her hair behind her ears so that it didn't cover as much of her face. She could see the hurt in Reid's eyes but he dutifully took the picture without unnecessary comment. Reid could see the bruising on JJ's neck.

"You should take off your jacket. I can't see your neck very well," he said. He was just giving instruction, but the broken look in JJ's eyes made him wish he had kept his mouth shut. She stood up carefully and started to pull the jacket off, but she winced when your side protested. Reid stood up quickly and helped her remove it slowly. When she turned around, Reid's eyes were glued to the hand sized bruise that was on her upper arm. Slowly, he raised his hand and ran the backs of his fingers over the bruise.

"God, JJ. I am so sorry," he said.

"This wasn't your fault," she replied. Reid wanted to say that he could have had her, and then none of this would have happened, but he bites his tongue and instead returns his focus to his camera. JJ pulls her hair out of the way and Reid takes a picture of her bruised neck. Next is a picture of her upper arm. JJ realizes he doesn't know about the other bruises. She doesn't know how to breach the subject, so instead, without mentioning it, she pulls the tank top she's wearing up to just under her bra. Reid doesn't manage to hide his shocked reaction upon seeing the grapefruit sized bruise on JJ's side. He knows that if he weren't so horrified he'd be marveling at how graceful and smooth her lines were. But all he can think about is how angry he is and how he wished he was a more violent person.

She's not looking at him. In fact, she's looking anywhere but at him. He respects her decision to not say a word about it and instead snaps a picture. She turns her back to him and he sees the bruise on her lower back. He holds back the sounds of anger and disgust he wants to make, taking the picture yet again. Lastly, she lowers the waist band of her yoga pants just below her hips. Reid swallows and takes the picture. There are tears silently running down JJ's face. He sets his camera on the side table and walks slowly to where JJ is standing. He puts his hands on her arms gently, pulling her into his body and wrapping his arms around her, being careful not to squeeze her too tightly. That hug was all it took to make JJ dissolve into a mess of tears. He always knew how to break down her walls. The way his strong arms held her securely without trapping her. The way he rested his chin on top of her head. The way he ran his thumb up and down the skin on her arm.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! So this chapter isn't entirely eventful, but it was necessary to move the story along. I promise the next chapter (which I'm hoping to post tonight) will be more eventful and pertinent to the story!**

"Hello?" Emily Prentiss answered her phone.

"Hey, Prentiss. So, I think JJ and I are going to need the week off," he said. JJ was blissfully asleep on the sofa after hours of crying and he had stepped out on his deck to inform the team. He knew that JJ would kill him if she knew he was telling someone, but at the same time he knew the team had to know.

"What? Why? What happened?" Prentiss asked, the suspicion and irritation in her voice rising.

"I don't want to explain too much over the phone, and it's not my place to be telling you, but I hoped you could talk to Hotch, maybe keep the team out of it. I tried to call him, but he didn't answer," Reid said.

"Reid, what happened?"

"Will got physical with JJ. A couple times. She's going to stay with me but I think she needs some time to get a grip on things and maybe heal up a little bit," Reid said. He felt wrong divulging the information but he could see no way around it. He heard Prentiss curse under her breath. He knew exactly how she felt.

JJ woke up slowly, at first confused about where she was and then remembering in pieces. She heaved a sigh of relief. She could hear Reid talking, but the voices were murmured. She couldn't make out much. All she made out was Reid saying, "she's no victim, Prentiss. She got out of there, and she'll be fine, I'll make sure of that." Part of JJ was angry at him for telling Emily, but the bigger part of her was touched by what he said. He didn't think of her as a victim. She sat up on the sofa, stretching carefully. The sliding glass door opened and closed as Reid came back in.

"Hey, you're awake," he said, giving her a smile. He looked like he felt guilty, and before JJ could respond he opened his mouth to explain.

"Spence, it's fine," she said, cutting him off before he got a chance to start nervously explaining. He nodded and sighed, obviously relieved.

"Are you hungry? I ordered in some Chinese from down the street, I was going to go pick it up. But if you don't want me to leave then I can—"

"Spencer. I'll be fine," JJ said, giving him a somewhat amused smile. He was so cute when he was all flustered. Granted, he was nervous and flustered a lot of the time, but it didn't make it any less adorable.

Reid walked down the street towards the Chinese restaurant that was only a couple blocks away. He felt nervous leaving JJ alone, but he was just feeling protective. Will didn't know where he lived, and he had taken JJ's phone, so there was no way for him to make contact with her. JJ was a grown woman, capable of locking the door and using a gun with expert aim. He couldn't help feeling over-protective of her. He had come to terms with the fact that he loved her a while ago and the thought of someone hurting her boiled his blood in a way few things managed to do. He had also accepted that she didn't see him that way. How could she? She was so far out of his league. He sighed heavily as he entered the Chinese restaurant. The woman at the desk recognized him and gave him the bag of food, accepting his cash and then waving him off.

On the way back, all Reid could think about was what if she did look at him that way? What would that be like? It would feel unbelievable to have the love of a woman as amazing as Jennifer Jureau.

JJ padded around Reid's apartment in her socks and pajamas, looking in various cabinets to find the plates. Once she did, she got two down and set them on the table, along with silverware, napkins and two glasses for drinks. It was weird how she felt more at home walking around Reid's apartment which she had only been in once before than she'd felt walking around the apartment she had shared with Will. Thinking about him made her shiver. With Reid gone, she was entertaining herself by thinking what it would be like to be his. To be able to kiss him when he walked through the door carrying the Chinese food. To have him wrap his arms around her. To make love with him…

_JJ, get it together. You should not be thinking about this right now. You should be distraught over you and Will's failed relationship_, she thought to herself. But she couldn't muster up the right amount of devastation. Even her thoughts had a bitter hint of sarcasm. Obviously, she was upset, and she felt betrayed. More than anything now she just felt angry. The thoughts she was having about Spencer were not new to her. Often when her and Will had been making dinner together, she would think about how different everything would be if it was Reid she lived with.

The front door opened and JJ nearly dropped the plate she was holding. She put a hand to her chest to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you," Reid said, smiling a little at how flustered she looked. He couldn't help it as his eyes trailed down, taking in how cute she looked in her black yoga pants and light blew tank top. It was form-fitting, hugging every curve of her body and making Reid's imagination run wild. He realized JJ was watching him appraise her, so he quickly turned and walked into the kitchen, setting the Chinese food on the counter. JJ had been "checked out" before. With Spencer, somehow it was different. His eyes were sweet as he took in her appearance, not judgmental or hungry.

"Did you set the table?" he asked when he noticed the plates.

JJ glanced at the table and then back at him, smiling and then blushing a little. Hopefully he didn't see right through her, the fact that she was practically playing house like a five year old in her head.

"Yeah, I thought since you picked up the food I should help out somehow," she said, following him into the kitchen. She started taking things out of the bag and setting them on the counter. She grabbed a couple of the boxes and turned to go to the kitchen, running straight into Reid in the process.

Reid reached out and put his hands gently on JJ's waist to keep her from falling over. She managed not to drop either of the boxes, but then all she could do after that was focus on the way Reid's hands felt on her. There was a moment of tense silence. JJ looked at him, Reid looked at his hands, and then removed them, looking at the ground.

"Sorry, I—"

"I didn't—"

They both stopped talking and just kind of laughed. Reid couldn't stop thinking about how her body had felt in his hands. So delicate, but strong at the same time. JJ turned back towards the counter to get the rest of the things out of the bag, and Reid's eyes involuntarily scanned down her lovely back to her sculpted back side. She had such a graceful body, he wanted to touch and kiss every inch of it. Contrary to Derek Morgan's belief, Reid had sexual experience. Admittedly, it wasn't as much experience as a lot of guys his age, and it definitely didn't compare to Derek's list of conquests, but he felt like his abilities were developed. Usually he never second guessed himself, but he knew that if he were ever in a sexual situation with JJ, he would be nervous all over again.

JJ turned around and noticed Reid was staring at her with a far-away look.

"What's wrong?" she asked, walking to the table and setting the Chinese take-out cartons in the middle. Reid shook the thought from his mind and started to help carry things into the kitchen.

"Nothing, just got into a stare," he said, giving her a smile. JJ noticed that the smile didn't touch his eyes. He looked almost pained. Seeing Reid in any amount of pain broke JJ's heart. When he tried to walk past her back into the kitchen she gently put a hand on his chest to stop him. God, his chest felt so warm under her hand. She looked at him until he made eye contact with her.

"Spence, what's _actually_ wrong?" she asked. Reid knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this from her forever, but he didn't think now was a good time to talk about it. She had just gotten out of this thing with Will, she wouldn't be ready to even think about liking someone else, right? He put on his best honest face and smiled.

"I think I let myself get too hungry," he said, giving her his smile. JJ didn't buy it, but he clearly didn't want to talk about it and she wasn't going to pry. She nodded and sat down at the table, opening the box of chow-mein and serving some onto her plate. In the kitchen Reid shook his head, annoyed with himself for letting his thoughts be so obvious.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, do you want to watch a movie?" Reid asked, coming into the living room with a couple of DVDs. JJ looked up from the book she had been reading and smirked.

"Sure, but do you mind if I use your shower?" she asked. She looked like she felt bad for asking, but he didn't mind at all.

"Of course, I'll grab you a towel," he said, leading her towards the bathroom and grabbing a towel from the hall closet along the way. He set it on the bathroom counter and then looked into his shower and frowned.

"I don't know if you'll like any of my shampoo, or anything…" he said, trailing off and looking at JJ with an apologetic expression. She smiled at him.

"It's fine, I think I have some in my go bag," she said, walking back into the living room and grabbing her bag. For some reason, Reid was still standing in the bathroom, pondering what it would be like to be in the shower with her, washing her golden blonde hair and rubbing the tension out of her shoulders. He snapped out of it when she rounded the corner, smiling at him and setting her go bag on the toilet.

"I'll just being in the living room," he said, his voice cracking a little bit. He rushed out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen to pop some popcorn.

JJ let the hot water run down her back, relaxing her muscles. Instantly her mind started wandering to how Reid showered in this shower every day. Naked. _Good god, JJ. Get a hold of yourself! You're not a hormonal teenage girl anymore. Control yourself,_ she thought, trying to brush the inappropriate images off. She couldn't help how she felt about Reid, but she shouldn't be letting it run rampant in her head, distracting her from the most basic tasks. She finished her shower and got out, drying off quickly and then dressing in the same yoga pants, but a different tank top. When she left the bathroom she could smell popcorn and hear Reid bustling around in the kitchen. She was still drying her hair out with the towel when Reid walked out into the living room with a bowl of popcorn.

"Hey, good shower?" he asked, giving her a smile. The smell of her shampoo—rosehips and strawberries—filled Reid's nose. He had always loved the way she smelled, so natural. Nothing too overpowering or thick. It was a scent that always made him happy now.

"Yeah, it was nice. What movie are we watching?" she asked, walking over to his sofa and plopping down in the center cushion. Subconsciously she realized this was forcing Reid to sit next to her no matter which side he chose, but she pretended that had nothing to do with it. Reid brought the bowl of popcorn over and sat to her left, grabbing the remote off the side table and turning on the TV.

"I thought Dracula was a good choice," he said, turning and giving JJ the crooked smile she loved so much. She laughed out loud and settled back into the cushion.

"Dracula. I wouldn't have thought that'd be your first choice," she laughed, reaching over and grabbing some popcorn from the bowl.

"There's much you don't know about me, Jennifer," he said in a mock-vampire voice, causing JJ to burst out laughing again. Reid started the movie and turned out the lamp that was on the side table.

Now that it was dark JJ was having an inner argument much like the arguments she had with herself in high school when she saw movies with guys she liked. How close could she sit without being totally obvious?

"I'm gonna get a drink, do you want something? I have wine, water, and soda," he asked as the credits began.

"Wine sounds great, actually," she said, moving her legs off the ottoman for him to walk past. While he was gone, she sneakily scooted just a little closer to where he had been sitting. She felt like she was a teenager again, getting all nervous hanging out with a guy and surreptitiously finding ways to get closer to him.

Reid returned with two glasses of red wine, handing one to JJ and then sitting on the couch next to her again. Reid couldn't help but think that JJ was closer than she had been before, but it could have just been wishful thinking.

"I've never actually seen this movie," JJ said thoughtfully, taking a sip of her wine and propping her feet on the ottoman again.

"Really? It's a classic," Reid replied. JJ settled further into the sofa, preparing to watch the movie with as much attention as she could focus in that direction. Her shoulder was now resting against Reid's and it was making it difficult for her to fully concentrate on the movie.

About an hour into the movie, Reid could tell that the wine seemed to be taking some affect. JJ and him were both laughing at parts of the movie that weren't really funny, but they were somehow finding ridiculous. They were both on glass two, and Reid was getting up to get a fourth when he tripped on JJ's legs and almost fell across her. He managed to catch himself with a hand on the back of the sofa, but that brought him dangerously close to JJ's face. JJ felt her breath catch, and Reid smiled goofily.

"I'm sorry," he said, moving away from her quickly. He walked into the kitchen with both of their wine glasses.

"It's quite alright," JJ muttered to herself, too quietly for Reid to hear. She knew it was probably the wine making her think it, but she wondered if maybe Reid did have feelings for her. What would it be like for them to be together? The answer to that is that it would be incredibly easy. Like breathing.

Reid returned with the two full wine glasses and pressed play on the movie. Sitting down with his arm flush against JJ's. It was a little uncomfortably tight, so Reid lifted his arm and put it on the back of the sofa. There was a tense moment while JJ assessed what to do, but then she just leaned into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. Reid tensed under her, wondering if she meant what she was doing or if the wine was just making her tired. Either way, he wouldn't give this moment up for anything now that he had it.

"This is a better movie than I expected it to be," JJ said, moving her head to look at Reid while keeping it rested on his shoulder. At this angle her face was so close to his. He swallowed and tried not to look too terribly nervous.

"It's one of my favorites," he said with an uneasy smile. Her big blue eyes turned up with her grin and then she settled her head back down, looking at the screen. A couple minutes later JJ leaned across Reid to set her half-empty wine glass on the side table. The smell of her hair assaulted Reid's senses and it was all he could do not to lean in towards her. When she rested back into his shoulder, he gathered all the courage he had and moved his arm from the back of the sofa to rest around her waist. When she started to move he almost panicked, thinking she was moving away from him and he had crossed a line. Instead, she cuddled closer to him. JJ felt Reid tense up and realized that maybe he wasn't ok with this. But he had put his arm around her, right?

"Is this…ok?" she asked, looking up at him. He smiled and nodded, swallowing a little nervously.

"Yeah, JJ. It's good," he said, putting his arm around her waist a little more confidently. She smiled and rested her head back into his shoulder, loving the way she felt so safe in his arms. She didn't know how to describe it other than that it felt right. Better than anything she had felt with someone else.

The wine had originally been making JJ tired, but now with the proximity to Reid she was buzzing awake again. His mouth was so close. All she had to do was tilt her head up and lean forward, and she'd be kissing him. She knew it made no sense. This morning she'd been getting beaten up by her now ex-boyfriend, and now she was cuddling up to a long time crush—more than a crush, really—and thinking about kissing him. Was there something wrong with her? Reid felt JJ sigh, and he looked down at her.

"You ok? Getting tired?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine," she said, but she realized how unconvincing it sounded as soon as it left her mouth. Reid paused the movie and waited until JJ looked up at him.

"You can talk to me, you know," he said seriously. JJ sat up from her position on the sofa and her shoulders slumped. Did she tell him? She thought it might be the wine but she was leaning towards yes. She didn't bother asking herself "what's the worst that could happen" because there was a long list of bad things and she didn't want to think about them and talk herself out of it.

"Spencer, do you know the first thing I thought when Will slapped me the first time?" she said, only able to speak so confidently about it because of the alcohol. She said Reid wince at the mention, but he maintained eye contact.

"What?" he asked, unaware of where the conversation was going.

"I thought to myself, I made a mistake," she said. Reid gave her a quizzical expression and started to ask what she meant, but JJ continued.

"I started dating Will because he seemed like the best choice I had. We went on that date, but you never asked for a second so I figured, he doesn't see me like that, that's ok. I was upset, but I figured it was just supposed to happen that way," she said. Reid was feeling dangerously hopeful at the moment, but he didn't want to hope just yet. She could be going nowhere with this, just tipsy rambling brought on by cuddling. JJ wasn't looking at him anymore.

"But now, being here with you again, I realize that's not how it was supposed to happen at all. We were supposed to work, and…" she said. She was opening her mouth to continue but Reid cut her off.

"JJ, I didn't call you for a second date because I figured there was no way you would go out with me again. I have always had feelings for you. I pushed them down when you started dating Will. You seemed happy, and I was happy for you, I was sure Will was a better man," he said. JJ started to protest, but Reid kept talking, not wanting to lose confidence in what he was saying.

"As it turns out, Will is not a better man than me. My feelings for you have never changed."

JJ's heart was thumping in her chest. She was hearing exactly what she had wanted to hear, but now that she had she didn't know how to react. She knew that she wanted to kiss him, but thought maybe she shouldn't. Then it occurred to her, why shouldn't she? He had just confirmed her hopes and admitted that he had feelings for her. There was no reason to hold back anymore.

She leaned forward slowly, giving Reid every chance to stop her. To her dismay, he put a hand up and told her to wait. Her heart sank.

"No, JJ, just listen. If we do this…if I kiss you…things won't be the same. Ever. I won't be able to forget it and go back to being friends. If you don't want that, I need to know now," he said nervously. He hoped it wouldn't discourage her, but he would have felt wrong kissing her without that disclaimer.

JJ's heart soared back into her throat and she thought about it for a split second. She decided very quickly that she never wanted things to go back to the way they were. She never wanted to be just friends with Reid again.

"I want that, Spencer," JJ said, her voice barely above a whisper. Reid brushed the hair out of JJ's face and did the one thing he had dreamt of doing for years. He put his hand on JJ's cheek and leaned forward, pulling her lips towards his. Kissing her was better than anything he had ever felt. Her lips molded perfectly to his, warm and soft. Reid couldn't remember ever feeling this happy. JJ could hear her heart thumping in her ears as Reid's hand brushed past her cheek and weaving into her hair, pushing his lips harder against hers. The bruise on her lip ached but she couldn't care less.

After what seemed like eternity they both pulled back. JJ rested her forehead on Reid's and breathed heavily, smiling. Neither of them spoke, they just enjoyed the moment. JJ leaned forward first this time, closing the gap between their mouths and connecting them once again. She reached up and put her hand on the back of his neck, running her fingers into the edge of his hair. She felt Reid open his mouth the tiniest bit and she mirrored him, moving her tongue forward slightly to meet his. That first contact was euphoric, and soon their mouths were opening wider, their tongues caressing more fully. It was the best thing JJ could ever remember feeling.

**A/N: So, as promised, there was progression in the JJ/Reid situation! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review with anything you'd like to see more or less of, ideas you'd like elaborated on more, or just comments in general. I will hopefully be posting the next chapter tomorrow! Thanks for the reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **So I know the M rating hasn't played much of a part in previous chapters, but this chapter is definitely intended for mature audiences. I apologize in advance for anything that seems out of character—I can only guess what JJ and Reid would **_**actually**_** act like in the bedroom ;) but I'm doing my best, so I hope you enjoy!**

Reid swore he could keep kissing JJ forever, but he also knew that he wanted more. He wanted to be with her in every way possible. Even though the desires were there, he hadn't pushed things any further because they had waxed off a whole bottle of wine. Though Reid didn't feel as though the alcohol was influencing him, he didn't know how it was affecting JJ. What if this was something she would regret in the morning? He wouldn't be able to live with the guilt of hurting her, especially after everything she'd been through. While Reid was having his inner commentary, JJ was having a thought process of her own.

She was busy considering whether Reid would want to take it further. He was generally shy, so she wasn't sure how he'd want to play it. At this angle her neck was cramping, and it would be so easy to just move and straddle his hips. It would make it easier to continue kissing him, but also easier to move things in a different direction. There was no reason why she shouldn't. Yes, she'd had three glasses of wine, but she had a pretty high alcohol tolerance. She knew this wasn't something she'd regret in the morning. Or the next day. Or years from now. This was the right choice.

JJ made herself brave and moved to straddle Reid's hips, making the kiss easier. Reid's body went on full alarm, and the erection he'd already had hardened further. He didn't know that was possible, but JJ did something to him that he had never experienced before. She completely set him on fire. JJ laced her arms around Reid's neck, pushing her mouth harder onto his and meeting his tongue with hers. JJ making the first move made Reid feel a little more confident. He placed his hands on her thighs, running them up but stopping just before he got to her ass. JJ's body reacted to Reid's simple touch so much more than she ever expected it to. His hands were only on her thighs and she was already aching for him. He seemed to be waiting for some kind of permission to move forward.

JJ moved to kissing his jaw, then next to his ear, then a little down his neck, tugging at his skin with her teeth every once in a while. She felt Reid shudder beneath her and that was apparently all the permission he needed. He ran his hands up the remainder of her thighs to her ass, pulling her hips closer to his almost without realizing it. The friction of Reid pushing JJ's hips forwards made her pull in a shuddering breath. She kissed him fiercely, reaching down to grab the hem of his shirt. Reid moved his hands to grab her wrists, stopping her from pulling his shirt off.

"JJ," Reid said, breaking her attention. She looked up at him, curious as to why he stopped her. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to, ok? We have all the time in the world, there's no reason to rush."

Whether or not Reid intended it to happen, JJ doubted it. But his words only made her want him more.

"I know," she said, leaning in to kiss him firmly again.

Reid was reeling from the thought that JJ actually wanted to go further with him. Then again, she had just confessed her feelings for him, but it was still surprising somehow. JJ pulled his shirt off and he lifted his arms up so she could pull it off the rest of the way. His skin was so smooth and warm under her hands. He was just as beautiful as she always imagined he would be without a shirt, but finally getting to see it was something all together different. While JJ was looking at him Reid sat up more, pushing her hair over one of her shoulders and pressing his lips to her neck, trailing kissing down until he hit her pulse point where he sucked her skin lightly.

JJ didn't realize she was pushing her hips down into his until she felt him return the pressure, his arousal pressing against her core and making her breath catch. One of Reid's hands returned to JJ's hip, his thumb just passing the hem of her shirt to caress her skin. He wanted her so badly, but he wouldn't be the first to propose the idea. He didn't want her to feel pressured into anything. JJ surprised him but putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him back into the sofa, kissing him hard and then resting her forehead against his.

"I'd like to move this to the bedroom," she said, leaning forward and kissing him again, biting his bottom lip playfully. Reid didn't need her to say it twice for him to want to, he just needed her to confirm that this was what she really wanted.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his thumb rubbing back and forth on her hip. He could have sworn he saw JJ roll her eyes before she laughed and stood up off the couch. She started walking towards the bedroom, but Reid wasn't going to let her get there on her own. Being careful not to hit any of her bruises, he blocked her path and gently hoisted her over his shoulder. JJ's laughter filled the hallway as he toted her to his room and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Once they got to his room, Reid went to the bed and set her down in a sitting position, only smiling wider when he saw the playful smirk she was wearing. Reid bent down and cradled her face in his hands, kissing her passionately and running his fingers into her hair.

JJ began crawling back farther onto the bed, dragging Reid onto the bed with her. Instead of laying down on top of her, Reid kneeled between her legs and pulled her into a sitting position by her wrists. He reached down and grabbed the hem of JJ's tank top, pulling it up slowly and giving her every chance to stop him. Instead, she lifted her arms over her head to make it easier. Once her shirt was removed, JJ laid back again. She was wearing a simple black bra, nothing too special, and yet it was the sexiest thing Reid could remember seeing. Reid couldn't help admiring her beauty for a moment before he laid down on top of her and kissed her passionately. He put his weight on one elbow and his knees, using his other hand to trail up JJ's smooth, toned side to her bra-clad breasts.

JJ almost moaned when Reid's hand finally touched her breast, even though her bra was still intact. She pushed her hips up into his, looping her arms under his shoulders to run her hands down his back. Reid pushed back with his hips, moving to kiss JJ's jaw, her ear, down her neck to her collarbone. He followed the band of her bra around her sides and JJ propped herself on her elbows so that Reid could release the clasp in the back. Once the clasp popped free, Reid pulled JJ's bra down her arms and discarded it onto the ground.

His erection pulsed almost painfully looking at JJ's bare breasts. They were full and round with rosy tips that made Reid nearly weak in the knees. He could see the bruise on her side in his peripheral vision but he did his best to ignore it. It wasn't hard to do when he was so busy just looking at her.

"God, you're beautiful," he said, leaning down and kissing her neck again, trailing down until he was kissing the skin between her breasts. Starting his hands at her hips he ran them up her sides until he was cupping her breasts, the soft flesh fitting his hands perfectly. JJ arched her back into Reid, taking in a shuddering breath. His hands were so sure, and his eyes looked hungry for her as he kissed his way from the middle of her chest onto her right breast. He ran a thumb over her already pert nipple before taking the peak into his mouth. JJ gave a soft moan, reaching down to run a hand through Reid's hair. He flicked his tongue over her nipple a couple times, then very gently grazed his teeth along it. Everything he was doing to her chest was sending an aching pleasure into her core. She pressed her hips up into his, grinding against his arousal in attempts to bring herself any type of release.

Reid pushed back, moving his mouth to her left breast to tease it with his tongue and continuing to tease the right with his thumb. JJ's breathing was ragged and she needed more contact then that. In perfect timing, Reid trailed a hand down her smooth stomach and pressed his fingers against her core through her yoga pants. JJ's moans were music to Reid's ears and he kissed her passionately, pressing his hand harder against her and gratified when she pressed her hips down into his hand in return.

"Spencer," JJ breathed, rotating her hips in a circle against his hand and gripping his shoulders. He got up from his kneeling position and stood at the edge of the bed. JJ was about to ask what the hell he was doing when he grabbed her ankles and gently pulled her to the edge. Grabbing onto the waistband of her pants, Reid began pulling them off of her, the anticipation making it difficult for him to do so slowly. He managed though, removing them carefully and tossing them to the ground. His breath hitched a moment when he realized she had been wearing no panties.

JJ sat up, grabbing Reid's belt buckle, undoing it quickly, and then moving on to undoing his pants. Reid had been so caught up in seeing JJ fully naked he almost forgot that she would also be seeing him nude. He got nervous for a moment, wondering what she would think of him. JJ looked up at him as she pulled his zipper down, and the look she gave him was so full of passion that Reid could hardly focus on his nerves anymore. JJ pushed his pants down, letting them fall around his feet. She looked up into his hazel eyes while she looped her fingers under the waist band of his boxers. Leaning forward, she kissed below his belly button and trailed down as she removed his boxers.

Once his boxers were discarded with his pants, JJ took in the beauty of seeing Reid naked and so unguarded. Her eyes made a path from his face down his chest and landed on his hardened length. It didn't surprise her that he was a considerable length, for some reason she had always pictured it being that way. Reid was looking down at her, swallowing nervously as she took in his appearance. He didn't know why he was so worried—JJ wasn't the judgmental type—but he wanted to be good for her.

Glancing up at him with her deep blue eyes, JJ placed her hands on Reid's bare hips and pulled him forward a little, wrapping her right hand around tightly around him. Reid managed to hold in the groan at first, but when JJ leaned forward and swirled her tongue around the tip he couldn't control the noise anymore. She took as much of the length as she could into her mouth, hitting the back of her throat, and then removed it to the tip, repeating the action a couple times and moving her hand in time. Reid had placed a hesitant hand on her neck, running his thumb up and down the space below her ear. When she peered up through her lashes she could see that his head was kicked back and his stomach muscles flexed.

"JJ, stop-"

JJ pulled him out of her mouth and looked at him with a questioning expression. He had clearly been enjoying it, why did he make her stop?

"If you keep going I won't be able to last," he said, blushing furiously. JJ felt her core become wetter just from the knowledge of the effect she had on him. Reid placed his hands on JJ's shoulders, pushing her back into a laying position. He swept them down her body, brushing across her nipples and down her thighs, resting on her knees. He pushed her thighs apart and kneeled before her, his intentions clear. JJ panicked for a moment—Will had never really liked doing it, so she wasn't accustom to it anymore. Reid heard JJ's breath hitch and felt her legs tense in resistance. He knew that she was probably just nervous, so instead of stopping, he softly ran his hands up her inner thighs, massaging them along the way until he was only a breadth away from touching her core. JJ's chest was rising and falling with anxiety, any worries completely forgotten. She had propped herself slightly on her elbows and was looking down at Reid with her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

Reid ran his thumb up the middle, gliding through her wet lips to the sensitive bundle of nerves at the top. JJ moaned with the contact, bucking her hips up and dropping her head back. Reid took the hint and repeated the action, this time lingering at her clit and running his thumb in circles around it. JJ's heavy breathing was the only noise filling the room and Reid was elated to be the one eliciting the reaction. He pushed JJ's thighs a bit further apart, and leaned forward to taste her, running his tongue the entire length. God, she tasted amazing. JJ's hands gripped the sheets and her hips moved with the feeling, desperately trying to bring the release she was craving. Reid put one hand on her hip to keep her in place and continued flicking his tongue over her nub, making full circles every once in a while. While tonguing her most sensitive flesh, Reid brought a hand to between her thighs and pushed a finger into her. She was so warm and tight, the feeling alone almost brought Reid to fruition. He kept a steady rhythm, adding another finger and pushing them in and out at a leisurely pace. JJ was losing control of her moaning as Reid continued, her stomach muscles twitching as she neared the peak. She could feel the pleasure building, coiling in her stomach and getting ready to burst. Reid felt her start to quiver. He sucked her clit into his mouth and bent his fingers up. JJ's back bowed off the bed as she met her release, the pleasure spreading through her thighs. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had an orgasm that intense.

Reid removed his fingers and kissed up JJ's hips, trailing up her stomach to eventually reach her mouth. JJ could taste herself on him and she was surprised by how much that aroused her.

"I need you, now," JJ said, still breathless from what he had just done to her. Reid kissed her passionately and then knelt between her legs. He was quite a bit taller than JJ, so he grabbed a pillow and stuck it under JJ's lower back so that it would be more comfortable.

He pulled JJ forward until he was just at her entrance. He leaned over her, kissing her passionately as he slowly pushed himself inside of her. They both groaned, and JJ gripped Reid's hair. JJ felt like she couldn't take anymore of his length, but she was surprised when he was in all the way. He felt amazing inside of her. All Reid could think of was how hot and tight JJ was. How she was more beautiful than anyone he had ever met. How she was more perfect for him than he could have ever imagined. He gave her a moment to adjust to his size before pulling almost completely out and pushing in again. JJ moaned and pushed her hips forward to meet his.

"God, Spence," JJ said, biting his bottom lip gently before kissing him with a hunger Reid never thought a woman would have for him, much less the woman of his dreams. It was hard to go much faster leaning over the way he was, so when JJ softly said "faster", he gave her a long, lingering kiss before sitting up in front of her. He grabbed her hips and pulled them forward, causing JJ's back to arch off the bed a little. She braced her feet against the mattress next to Reid's legs to meet his thrusts with her own. He kept a hold on her hips and started increasing his pace, pounding into her and pleased by the sounds she was making. He could feel his climax coming, but he wanted JJ to come with him. He reached down and rubbed her clit with his thumb as he continued thrusting into her.

JJ's body was on fire, consumed by the immense pleasure that Reid was providing her. She was already gearing up for another orgasm. Usually, it took her a little longer to get there, but with Reid it seemed instantaneous. Her stomach muscles twitched and contracted, heat spreading into her thighs. She watched as a look of ecstasy came over Reid's face, his bottom lip catching in his teeth for a moment. That look pushed JJ over the edge, her climax crashing over her with unexpected strength. They both came down gradually, and Reid collapsed forward, kissing JJ gently and brushing her hair out of her face. He rolled off of her and moved so that he was laying correctly on the bed, gesturing for JJ to follow him. They both scooted under the blankets, and Reid tucked JJ into his side, lightly running his fingers up and down her side.

"That was…amazing," JJ said, feeling that the word was inadequate but unable to think of anything that would portray the moment.

Reid had never felt as amazing as he did right then. He had just made love to the woman he loved, and now she laying up against him telling him how amazing it was. He looked down at her, marveling at her beauty, and kissed her softly, squeezing her into his side even more.

"I've wanted to tell you this for such a long time. Please don't feel pressured to say anything back. That's not why I'm telling you. I just want you to know that…I love you," he said, finally speaking the words he had thought so many times.

JJ's lips automatically stretched into a wide smile and she couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. Reid raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

"I said you don't have to say it back, I didn't say laugh at me," he said, smiling only because her grin was so contagious.

"No, no! That's not why I'm laughing. I'm laughing because you think there's any chance I wouldn't say it back. I love you, Spencer," she said, resting her head back on his chest and smiling to herself. Reid felt his heart nearly soar out of his chest just hearing JJ say those words. She loved him. JJ—perfect, beautiful, understanding, amazing JJ—loved him. He could have died right then and been happy.

JJ didn't know how long they spent in silence as Reid traced patterns on her side, but she didn't care. She could have stayed with him, just like they were, forever. She was loved by a man that was unfathomably perfect. She was loved by a man with so much passion that she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She was loved by a man that she loved equally, and everything felt better than it had ever been.

**A/N: So, I'm not sure if I'm completely happy with how this chapter turned out, but a friend of mine read it and said she really enjoyed it. I figured I would let you guys be the judge. Reviews would be greatly appreciated! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys! So I know that I took a long time to update this time, and I'm very sorry! My work schedule suddenly exploded and I had very little time to write. The story progresses, plot thickens, blah blah blah. Please read! Reviews are much appreciated! =D**

The next morning, JJ slowly woke up, feeling Reid's chest under her head and his deep breaths brushing against her face. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes again and reveling in what it felt like to be wrapped in his arms. She loved him. More than she had ever loved another person. Reid stirred under her and she propped her chin on his chest so she could see him. He blinked his eyes a couple times and then looked at her, automatically smiling.

"Morning," he said, his voice adorably groggy. He stretched and rubbed his eyes. When he had first been waking up he had been horrified the night before was just a dream. But seeing JJ there, with her head resting on his chest and her smile beaming at him, he was elated.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" she asked, leaning forward and kissing him before he could answer. He wrapped his arm around JJ and returned her kiss. When she pulled back he kissed her on the forehead before she laid her head back down.

"I slept perfectly. You?" he asked. He was tracing a pattern on JJ's side with his fingertips, marveling at how smooth her skin was.

"Very well, thank you," she said. The silence that followed was interrupted by the sound of JJ's stomach growling. They both burst into laughter once her stomach was done whining.

"I suppose we could be civilized people and get out of bed, maybe get you something to eat," Reid said, laughing a little.

JJ laughed, thinking about the alternative which was staying in bed—all day, having sex.

"What time is it, anyway?" she asked.

"Ten in the morning."

JJ sat up and stretched, the sheet falling down to her hips and giving Reid a full view of her beautifully naked body. Just looking at her made him want to lock the door and stay in his room all day, making love to her and worshipping her in every way possible. The silence was broken again by JJ's stomach and Reid decided it was more important to get her some food.

"Alright, let's go," Reid said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and walking to his dresser to get some clothes. He didn't hear JJ move so he looked over his shoulder. She was looking at him hungrily, with the smallest smile on her face.

"What?" he asked, stepping into the boxers he had picked out. JJ broke out of the stare and got off the bed, walking past Reid towards the bathroom to get her go bag.

"Nothing, you're just beautiful," she said, hiding nothing as she walked down the hall. Reid unabashedly watched her walk down the hall way, noticing the familiar sway in her walk that he always watched at work. Once she turned the corner into the bathroom Reid continued getting dressed, glad that his hair was now short so that it took no maintenance other than running a hand through it.

JJ pulled on some panties and a bra, rummaging through her bag for the pair of jeans she knew was in there somewhere. Eventually she found them at the bottom and pulled them on. She had left the door open and Reid came in to brush his teeth. It all felt so natural—getting ready together, changing in front of each other. They moved around each other as though they'd been doing this for years. When JJ needed in front of the sink, Reid moved out of the way with his toothbrush in his mouth before she even got the chance to ask. When Reid was ready to spit out the toothpaste, JJ stepped back from the sink to give him space before he could ask. Maybe it was a product of working together in the field for so long, or maybe it was a product of something else. Either way, it made them both smile. They were both thinking that they never knew that it could be this easy.

"So, how do eggs sound?" Reid asked as he opened the fridge and looked inside. JJ leaned against the counter behind him, admiring the shape of his shoulders and back in the white t-shirt he was wearing. It was exciting to see him not in work clothes. She had noticed it yesterday, but somehow it was stronger today.

"Sounds good," she said. Reid took the egg carton out of the fridge and grabbed a skillet from the hanging rack, glancing at JJ and smiling.

"You can go watch TV, it'll be ready before you know it," he said, setting the skillet on the oven and grabbing a bowl to crack the eggs into.

"I'm not going to abandon you in here to cook for me while I watch TV," she said, taking the eggs from him and beginning to crack them into the bowl before he could stop her. Reid just stared at her back, a smile stuck on his face like it had been nearly all morning. She looked over her shoulder at him, smiling and continuing to work on the eggs. He waited until he was sure there were no eggs in her hands, and then he pulled her back from the counter, turned her around, and hoisted her up my her thighs. JJ only went with it because she didn't realize what he was doing…among other reasons. She let out a shocked sound and threw her arms around his neck. He walked over and set her on the other counter, kissing her hard before she could ask him what he was doing. She returned the kiss with equal passion, smiling the whole time. Reid's hands grabbed her hips, pulling her flush against him and then continuing their journey up her sides and underneath her shirt.

**At the BAU…**

Emily sorted through the files on her desk, trying to find the one that Hotch was asking her about. She couldn't find it, but she knew it was somewhere in the stack. She had been preoccupied lately, thinking about JJ and whether or not she was ok. On top of that, she wondered if Reid had finally confessed how he felt about her. Hotch and her were doing a fine job of keeping the team out of it for now, not wanting to upset everyone and distract people.

"Emily,"

Prentiss looked up, not recognizing the voice right away. Will was standing next to her desk, looking at her with a friendly smile. It was like he didn't know that Emily knew, she that was exactly how she intended to play it.

"Will, hey, how's it going?" she asked with a smile, managing to keep the poison from seeping into her words. She wanted to punch him square in the face, but she refrained.

"I'm not doing too good. JJ and I got in a fight, and she ran off. You know how she can be," he said, giving Emily a conspiratorial look as though there were an inside joke somewhere in that statement. Emily bit her tongue, giving him a humoring smile and waiting for him to continue.

"I was wondering if you knew where she was. I just want to find her and apologize, fix things, you know," he said. Emily couldn't pick out exactly how she knew he was lying because she already knew he was. But there was something that she sensed that tipped her off to the fact that was emotionally unstable. Not the kind of normal unstable people are after break-ups, but the kind of unstable that breeds extreme reactions and violent behavior. Emily glanced past Will and saw Hotch standing in his window, watching them without being too obvious. Rossi was across from him, and they were speaking, only looking over ever so often.

"I actually don't know, Will. She called in sick this morning, so we've just been going about business without her for today," she said, giving him an apologetic smile. Something in Will's expression changed, just the slightest bit, but it didn't escape Emily's notice.

"That's interesting," he said.

"Why is that?" Emily asked, going back to sorting through papers on her desk.

"She left her cell phone at home," he said, his voice becoming firmer and more irritated. Emily was opening her mouth to speak when Rossi strolled up.

"Hello, Will," he said, reaching out to shake his hand. Will put the fake smile back on and greeted Rossi.

"Dave, Emily was just telling me that JJ called in sick this morning," he said, giving Rossi a questioning look.

"Well, you live with her. Wouldn't you already know that?" Dave asked, playing dumb.

"No, you see we got in a fight, she JJ ran off. You know how impulsive she can be," he said, shaking his head condescendingly.

"Actually, no. I can't say I do," he said.

Emily took this time to grab the designated file and bee-line to Hotch's office, knowing full-well that Rossi could take care of himself. She pulled her cell-phone out of her pocket to text Reid, but Hotch waved her off.

"I already sent a message. We just need to make sure he doesn't find anything out," he said.

**Back and Reid's…**

Reid's phone beeped, informing him on and incoming text. He knew the team wouldn't be texting him unless it was important, so he started to pull away from kissing JJ. She whined and tried to pull him back to her.

"I just have to check my phone," Reid laughed. He didn't disentangle himself from her arms, he only reached far enough to grab his phone. JJ was kissing his jaw, his ear, down his neck, and doing everything in her power to distract him from the phone. Reid could hardly focus on the text he had received but a couple of the words in the message snapped him into full attention.

"Shit," he muttered. JJ stopped then.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Will is at the BAU. He wants to know where you are," he said, typing back a reply asking Hotch what they should do. JJ paled, and Reid started comforting her.

"It'll be fine, they won't tell him."

"Reid, he's a cop. He'll notice you're not there and if he wants your address he can get it," she said, her hands beginning to shake and tears welling in her eyes. She was doing her best not to panic but it was seeping into nerves anyway. Reid swallowed, remaining calm more for JJ's sake then his. He revised the text, entering the information JJ had brought to his attention. While Reid waited for the response, he wrapped his arms around JJ and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Everything's going to be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Reid said, leaning back and cradling her face in his hands. One tear escaped JJ's eye, but Reid wiped it away with is thumb before it could fall very far.

"It's not me I'm worried about. If you get hurt because of me I'll never forgive myself," she said. She wasn't becoming hysterical, she was just stating facts. If something happened to Reid because of her bringing him into this situation, she knew she would never forgive herself for it. How could she?

Reid's phone vibrated again. **If JJ permits me to tell Derek about the situation, he probably has a property you guys can hide out at for the time being.**

Reid turned the phone to JJ for her to read, and she just nodded her permission. She knew she would do anything to keep Reid out of harm's way. She didn't want to fully admit it, but she knew that Will had the capability of being very dangerous. Reid texted Hotch to give him the all clear and then they waited. Reid turned back to the stove and continued making eggs. The silence was loaded with questions that neither of them wanted to ask and answers that neither of them really wanted to know. Reid wanted to ask how dangerous JJ thought Will was at this point, but he dreaded what the answer might be. JJ wanted to ask what they were going to do in the bigger picture, but she got nauseous when she thought of the possibilities. This wouldn't resolve peacefully, she knew that much.

Reid's phone started ringing, and JJ answered when she saw Derek's name on the caller ID.

"Derek?" she asked when she answered. _Duh, who else would it be?_

"Hey baby girl, how you doin'?" he asked. His voice was heavier than usual, and JJ felt guilty for making it that way. She didn't know how to answer his question.

"I'm ok. Hotch said you might be able to help us out," she said. She suddenly wished that she bit her nails just because it would give her something to do with them.

"Don't worry, I have you two taken care of. As soon as Will leaves I'm stopping by to bring you the keys. We should meet somewhere away from Reid's house though, just in case," Derek said. JJ appreciated the way he wasn't talking to her like she was a victim he didn't know. He was talking to her the same way he always had, just without the teasing and banter.

"Thank you so much, Derek. I owe you," she said, weight lifting off her shoulders in the form of a sigh. She handed the phone to Reid so that they could work out where to meet and everything. She meant to listen to the conversation, but her mind wandered aimlessly.

They would be safer once they were somewhere Will knew nothing about. However, there was a lingering feeling in JJ's mind that this was just the beginning of a situation that may turn out to be more than either of them could handle.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took me so long to upload. I went several directions with the chapter before I decided on one. Let me know what you think! Reviews are always appreciated.**

JJ was in the bathroom, making sure she had everything in her go-bag before Reid and her went to meet Derek to get the keys to his extra house. She was grabbing her toothbrush that she had left on the counter when she changed her mind. She glanced up and caught her reflection in the mirror. The bruises that decorated her face sickened her. But there was something else that made her stomach turn an extra time. She was running away.

When had she turned into the woman who ran away when there was a problem? She was an FBI agent who was trained with a gun, and she was certain she could take care of herself. Not to mention, the team would have her back through anything. How could she let herself run away and expect things to get any better?

"Reid?" JJ called as she walked from the bathroom to the living room. He was just setting his go-back on the sofa when she came in. He looked up, his hazel eyes open but slightly worried.

"We can't go," JJ said. Reid's brows furrowed but he let her continue without interrupting. He probably knew she needed to get it all out while it was fresh in her mind.

"I'm not this person. I'm not the girl who runs away because somebody hurt her. That's not me, and I don't want to become that person."

Reid's face took on a kind of understanding that she recognized in him, and she knew he understood why she needed to stay.

"Ok. But, you realize that if you wanted to go, it wouldn't make you weak, right?" he asked, clarifying things true to his form. JJ didn't exactly agree with what he said, but she understood why he said it.

"I know. But nothing will ever get better if I run away," she said, shaking her head.

"Ok. Then what do you want to do?" he asked, moving his go-bag to the floor and sitting down on the sofa. JJ walked over and sat next to him, readying the plan in her head.

"First, I want to press charges and get a restraining order," she said, continuing after his approving nod. "Then, I want to go back to work."

There was a small stretch of silence while Reid clearly considered the "going back to work" part. But he knew when there was no point in arguing, and now was one of those instances. She had the hard look that she got in her eyes sometimes when she was determined. It turned her soft blue eyes into steel, and he had always loved how strong she was. Even when there were days on the job that she doubted her abilities, or her strength, he was always there to reassure her and remind her of times. This would be one of the times he would use to reinforce her belief in herself.

"Ok. I'll call Derek," he said, pulling his cell-phone out and dialing the number.

While he talked to Derek, JJ relaxed into the sofa cushions and heaved a sigh of relief. This was better. They would stay here and deal with this head on, just as it should be. JJ's mind wandered off into the steps they would take as Reid's voice filled the silence. Pressing the charges would be easier with the pictures Reid had insisted on taking, and the fact that she was in the FBI would probably—though unfairly—give her a little more pull. The restraining order would be easy too, though she imagined there might be some backlash when Will got served the papers. Next she'd need to start looking for an apartment and at some point go get the rest of her things from her place with Will.

"Everything's sorted out. Derek is going to tell the team what's going on, and then tomorrow we can go in to do the paperwork," he said, setting his phone on the coffee table and smiling at her.

"Why can't we go in today?" JJ asked. It was early enough in the morning, so reasonably there was plenty of time left in the day to get the paperwork done with.

"Are you up for a visitor?" Reid asked, looking slightly guilty. JJ narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why do you ask?"

"Emily might have told me she was coming over," he said, pretending to shield himself after wards in case JJ decided to become violent.

"She _told_ you?" JJ asked, her voice incredulous.

"Yes. Is it really in Emily's nature to ask permission?" he said. JJ couldn't argue with that. It wasn't that she had any problem with seeing Emily, it was just that she wished the bruises weren't so obvious. There was a need to see her friend though that went past her worrying about how she looked. Reid was still pretending to brace himself, so JJ reached up and pulled his hands away from his face, leaning in quickly to kiss him on the mouth. He was taken by surprise, but it didn't even take him a second to start kissing back.

"I think that's a great idea," she said after pulling back. Reid smiled and pulled her face back to his, kissing her softly. The way his lips perfectly fit hers had JJ's stomach fluttering with excitement. With him it seemed to take only the slightest of touches to have her heart jumping and her nerves firing.

"Good. I'm going to go take a shower," Reid said, kissing JJ on the lips again before standing off the sofa and heading for the bathroom. JJ waited, listening carefully to the sound of him shutting the door, a stretch of silence, and then the shower turning on. He didn't lock the door, and JJ thought it was probably on purpose, which was fine with her. She waited until he had been in the bathroom for about three minutes before she tiptoed her way over the door and pushed herself inside.

"JJ?" Reid asked when he heard the door open. He peaked his head around the shower curtain, his hair all wet and sticking out in various directions.

"I decided I need a shower, too," she said, pulling her shirt off over her head. "It's important to help the environment."

JJ lost her pants next and Reid was still just looking at her as though he were surprised by what she was doing.

"That's true. On average, a five minute shower using a low-flow shower head uses about 7-8 gallons of water. That number won't be exact, because it varies based on water pressure at shower head inlet and I don't know the exact flow rate-"

JJ smiled and lost her bra and underwear, loving the way he always spouted facts when he got nervous.

"Spence," she said, approaching the shower and pulling the curtain away so she could step in. He moved to make room for her and she smiled, closing the curtain behind her.

Reid realized it was irrational to be nervous—they'd been past the whole seeing each other naked thing—but he couldn't help getting a little anxious all the same. The realization that he could lean over right now and kiss her had him smiling uncontrollably.

JJ switched him places and leaned her head back into the spray, effectively pushing her breasts towards Reid. The erection he'd already had became harder and his eyes glued to her instantly. Her eyes were closed and she was running her fingers through her hair, and he was glad she wasn't seeing the way he was ogling her.

"Hand me the shampoo?" she asked, opening her eyes. Reid reached behind him and grabbed the bottle, opening the lid and squirting some into his hand.

"Turn around," he said, setting the bottle back down and lathering up his hands. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, obliging his demand. Reid wove his fingers into her hair at the scalp, using his fingers to massage her head and work the shampoo into a frothy suds. JJ sighed and let her head fall back, giving Reid better access as he rubbed her scalp with his fingers. He moved his hands to the back of her head, working the shampoo up the back of her head next.

"God, that feels good," she said, her eyes shut again as she let her head lean into his hands. Reid smiled wider, feeling incredibly accomplished just because of the indirect compliment.

JJ turned around and rinsed her hair out, her back arching and her hands going up to scrub her hair some more. Reid couldn't fight the urge to grab her any longer, so he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, capturing her mouth with his and putting his other hand on the back of her neck.

JJ put her hands on his shoulders, pushing her mouth harder against his as the hot water sprayed against her back. Part of her felt like it was wrong to already be so happy, but the warm feeling in her heart was undeniable and she didn't intend to put out the flame. Reid's hand ran over the water-slick skin of JJ's back, following the curve down to her behind.

The fire that was building in the pit of JJ's stomach was surprising, seeing that he was hardly doing anything at that point. She was beyond ready to take it further though and was trailing her hand down his stomach when the knock on the front door interrupted things. They both groaned a little, but they got out of the shower anyway, not intending to leave Emily standing on the doorstep for long.

JJ threw her clothes back on, Reid doing the same, and then they headed for the living room. Reid snapped JJ with his towel, causing her to jump and laugh as she reached the door. She pulled it open while she turned and smacked Reid in the arm.

The click next to her ear was a familiar sound that made her heart stop just like always, and the look Reid was wearing told her it was a familiar face. Her heart instantly began hammering in her chest, sweat breaking out on the palms of her hands. She had known it could happen—he had all the resources to find her, being a cop—but she had convinced herself he wouldn't go that far.

The cold metal of the gun that was pressed into the back of her head told her otherwise, and Will's icy, biting tone reaffirmed that.

"I knew you were lying to my face."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for all the positive reviews guys! I really appreciate the feedback. I'm sorry for the delay in posts. It's a new year though, and one of my resolutions is to update more frequently! Let me know what you think!**

Reid's heart was thundering in his chest, his muscles frozen in case any wrong move sent Will over the edge. The fear in JJ's eyes nearly broke him in half, but he kept it together, knowing that she would do the same. His training for high-stress situations nearly went out the window. There was a silence before Will continued, and it weighed a hundred pounds on Reid's ears.

"So how long has this been going on?" Will asked, his voice uneven with anger as he inched sideways away from the door. Reid's words stuck in his throat because he knew nothing he could say would suffice. Will would assume he was lying either way, hearing only the response that he "knew" to be true.

"Not until after I left," JJ said, attempting to mask the tension in her voice. The feeling of the tip of the gun pressed to the back of her head kept her spine rigid and her muscles tight. This wasn't her first hostage situation, but this was the first she could remember where she was the hostage. Part of her felt like Will would never do it, but another part of her could sense the seriousness of the situation and knew that his actions weren't rash, they were calculated. The gun pressed harder to the back of her head, and she tightened her eyes shut, wondering if she would hear the gun-shot if he pulled the trigger.

The thing that weighed the heaviest on her heart was the thought of Reid seeing her die. How would he live with it? He would think it was his fault, blame himself, never move forward with his life.

An arm wrapped around her shoulders from behind, his hand holding onto her opposite arm. He could put her in a choke-hold so easily and there'd be little she could do to fight it.

"Don't lie to me," he said, jerking his arm and shaking JJ for a moment. The calm in his voice made her uneasy. It was the calm of a person who had complete control over a dire situation.

"She's not lying to you, Will," Reid said. Reid's words were quick and somewhat rushed, like he was trying to get the words in before Will cut him off. He took an involuntary step forward and Will moved, repositioning the gun more evenly at her temple. JJ's eyes that were at first squeezed shut, opened and locked onto Reid, willing him not to move. Reid froze, hardly even breathing.

"JJ would never have been unfaithful to you, you know that," Reid said, reaching for some sign that Will was holding onto reason. Instead he noticed the unsteady twitch in Will's right eye. The way his hand shook on the gun. His dilated pupils that shot back and forth and the overall disheveled look. Reid just needed to keep him talking until Prentiss got there. If she opened the door, would Will pull the trigger?

The grip on JJ's shoulder was painfully tight, his fingers biting into her skin like a vice. She just needed to distract him long enough to get the gun away from him.

"Then why is she here?" he asked, his voice hard. JJ didn't want to provoke him by saying it was because he hit her, because she knew he wouldn't be rational. Reid didn't speak up either. Lying in this situation would be dangerous, but the truth wasn't going to be helpful either. Will was going to believe whatever he wanted to believe and it didn't matter what they said.

Just when Reid was starting to think Prentiss might not show, there were three loud knocks on the door. Everything else happened fast. When Will looked away toward the door, JJ threw her head back, her skull connecting with his face and smashing his nose.

Will stumbled back but didn't fall. He wasn't disoriented for as long as JJ hoped he would be. The door swung open, and Emily's gun muzzle came through the door first. Will was quick, leveling his gun in their direction, pulling the trigger at nearly the same time as Prentiss took the shot.

Reid felt the thud of the impact before he felt the sharp, burning pain in his stomach. His insides were on fire, and before he thought to do it he was on the floor, his hands pressing against the wound because he knew he needed to keep the blood in.

JJ didn't react right away. She saw Will go down, a clean tag in the upper arm that made him drop the gun. Prentiss was on him with cuffs nearly instantly.

JJ's mind registered the gunfire that came before but she couldn't figure out where the bullet had ended up. She heard Reid fall and turned, seeing the blood first. For a second she couldn't get her muscles to respond, but a moment later she fell to her knees and pushed her hands over Reid's to staunch the flow. He was staring at her, his eyes not opening all the way in between blinks.

"No, no," JJ's words were nearly indistinct through her tears. She was supposed to keep it together, but this hadn't been a field situation and her training wasn't doing her any good. She had learned to cope with teammates getting injured, and she loved her teammates like family. But she loved Reid with everything she had and feeling the hot blood seep through her fingers had completely derailed her.

"Come on, stay with me," JJ said, pushing harder on the wound. She could hear Prentiss speaking rapidly into a phone and then was aware of a towel being pushed over her hands.

She replaced her hands with the towel, watching Reid's face as he winced and tried to keep his eyes open.

"They're on their way, just hold on, Reid," Prentiss said, her voice professionally even though on the inside she was losing her mind. Reid couldn't die. It wasn't possible. Unfair.

"Come on, talk, stay awake," JJ said, remembering that keeping him awake was important. Reid's eyes fluttered and focused on her.

He was fighting with everything he had to stay conscious. It felt like he was submerged in water, struggling to get to the surface, JJ's voice garbled through the thickness. Light was dimming around his vision but he fought for a response. His body was trying to pull him down, take him away from JJ, but he couldn't let it. They'd had such little time together, it wasn't fair that he was being taken away so soon.

He began trying to recite quotes in his head to keep himself alert, but all that came were muddled sentences with no clear meaning or distinct order. He kept fighting, but he knew the sludge working into his mind would win.

JJ didn't realize the EMTs had arrived until she was being gently pushed out of the way. Emily was holding onto her shoulders, pulling her back so the EMTs could help him. When the EMTs got Reid onto a stretcher with an IV after what seemed like years, JJ climbed into the back of the ambulance. Reid's unconscious face, so slack and unexpressive, made JJ's heart clench like a fist.

The buzz of the fluorescent hospital lights was nearly deafening as Derek Morgan sat in the waiting room next to Prentiss, Hotchner, Garcia, and JJ. Rossi had yet to arrive but he was on his way. Hotchner had taken a nervous position, his elbows on his knees and his fingers laced together against his mouth. Prentiss was on the other side of JJ, her jacket now covering JJ's blood sodden shirt. Derek could see the bruises on JJ's face, but he was more aware of her wide, unblinking eyes that were red from tears.

It felt like Reid had been in surgery for hours. Derek pushed himself up from the chair and began pacing, unable to stay still. He wished Prentiss had killed Will, or that he had been there to do it himself. Reid and him had always teased each other. Well, mostly he teased Reid. But Reid was always good-humored—sometimes oblivious—about the sibling-like exchanges. Derek felt protective of him in a way someone felt about a younger brother. The kid had so much good in him, it was hard not to want to protect him. Besides the fact that he was his teammate, he was his friend.

He ran his hands over his smooth head for the millionth time, wishing a doctor would just come out already and tell them what was going on. This was too long for a surgery, wasn't it?

Reid should be out by now, doing fine and quoting statistics on gun-shot wounds like that was normal commentary. When he looked around everyone's face was drawn in lines of despair. Hotchner's face, which was never really joyful to begin with, had an especially deep look of stress and pain that he was clearly trying to mask for everyone's benefit. Prentiss looked exhausted and devasated, her face the hopeless expression of someone who felt like they should have done more and her hand gripped in JJ's. JJ was holding onto that hand like it was a lifeline. Garcia was sniffling, her tears only now subsiding and falling into a shocked kind of silence.

The sound of shoes coming closer then they had in a while had all of them standing, the anticipation in the air tangible as they all held their breath. The doctor's face looked grim at first, but he finally gave a tight, professional smile.

"He's out of surgery. He should make a full recovery. The bullet ruptured his spleen and it had to be removed, but otherwise his internal organs are fine. He lost a lot of blood, but we were able to give him a transfusion right away," the Doctor said.

The sigh of relief in the room was a collective sound of tragedy being dodged.

JJ felt her heart burst open in her chest, the relief too great to shoulder.

"Can we see him?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly even though there was a huge smile plastered to her face.

"He's asleep right now, but your welcome to go in," he said, leading them down the hall to the recovery room. JJ took in the sight of him laying in the hospital bed, his heart monitor visually tracking the beats next to him and IV in his arm looking grim. But he was alive, and it was more then she had dared to hope for.

Once they were all in the room, they stood around him as though he would just suddenly wake up. Chairs were pulled up and everyone sat around the bed. The nurses were nice enough to bring in an extra seat when Rossi showed up, his normally composed face emotion stricken.

An hour passed, and as badly as they all wanted to sit there and wait for him to wake-up, the ringing of Hotchner's phone was a dark reminder that their work didn't often wait patiently. They had been fortunate enough to be in a lull when JJ and Reid had taken the time off, Strauss being out of town had made a hesitation in their flow of cases. Prentiss had picked up the work JJ would have done as best she could, and everyone pitched in when possible.

"We're needed at the BAU. A new case came in and Strauss considers it urgent," Hotchner said, his voice even but regretful. He clearly didn't want to be leaving either, but it wasn't really anyone's choice.

"JJ, your position is being taken care of for the mean time. Stay with Reid and call us as soon as he wakes up," Hotchner said. JJ hugged everyone as they went, ready to wait for as long as needed for Reid to wake up.

What nobody would say—what JJ knew even though it was unspoken—was that a media liaison with a bruised face startled people and was distracting. There was a woman who had taken JJ's place before during a painful bout of flu, and she figured this was who would fill in for her until she appeared more camera-ready. It wasn't out of cruelty that no one would want her delivering news to the press, it was just common sense.

JJ pulled her chair closer to his bed, and leaned her elbow next to his arm. Being careful not to disturb the carefully placed IV tubes, she wrapped her hand around his, squeezing intermittently and hoping to feel a squeeze back.

Reid wanted to open his eyes, but for a moment he couldn't figure out how to. He was in a half-awake state, and was fighting drowsiness. His mid-section ached and burned, and slowly the memories filtered in. Had he been shot? That sounded right. JJ had to be fine though.

"I know you're resting, but come back to me soon," JJ said, her voice quiet like she had been speaking for a while. Hearing her helped him find his eyes and soon he was slowly opening them. The sight of her leaning her elbow on his hospital bed, her head propped up on her free hand, was the sweetest thing he had ever seen. The fear of never seeing her again had been more painful then the bullet itself, and he couldn't remember ever feeling so relieved. Her blue eyes popped wide when she saw he was awake.

Neither of them said anything at first, and he could see the tears welling in her eyes. He tightened the weak grip he had on her hand.

"Hey, no crying," he said, smiling and rubbing her hand with his thumb. She smiled despite the tears that escaped and wiped them away as best she could.

"I'm so sorry, Spence. I should-"

"JJ, don't apologize. This wasn't your fault," he said. He hated the way she blamed herself.

"It was, though. Will would have never come to your house if I hadn't showed up at your door that morning," she said. The guilt in her words was heavy, but Reid didn't see why she felt that way.

"I'm glad you showed up that morning, because it led us here. I don't mean here as in the hospital, I mean here in our relationship. I hate that this is what it took for us to be together, but I would've taken you any way I could get you."

Hearing his voice lifted JJ's spirits. He sounded just like himself, reprimanding her for any guilt she felt, and he was alive. She couldn't help blaming herself for what happened, but at least with Reid telling her that it was worth it she could move past it eventually.

"You would take getting a slug to the stomach?" she asked, her tone joking.

"I think it's a little late to ask that," he said, gesturing to the bandages wrapped around his mid-section. JJ's grin cracked wide open, and he felt his expression mirror hers. Was it wrong to be so happy after being shot in the stomach by the love of his life's insane ex? Maybe. But if it was, he was feeling perfectly fine with being wrong for once.

"What'd the doctor say?" Reid asked, wondering how soon he'd be able to get back home and back to work.

"He came in a little bit before you woke up. He said that you should be ready to go home by morning, you'll just have to take it easy. He wants to prescribe you some pain medication," she said, almost distracted by Reid rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I don't want the medication."

"I know. I told him you probably wouldn't, but he said he'd talk to you about it," she said. Reid nodded and smiled appreciatively. She knew him so well and was so considerate. He couldn't figure out how he had gotten so lucky.

"I'll understand if you don't want to stay at my place now that Will knows where it is," Reid said. He had considered saying it a couple times, but he worried she would take him up on it and he really didn't want her to leave. Not to mention, he didn't want her living alone.

"Who do you think is gonna make sure you're taking it easy? Besides, Emily arrested Will," JJ said. Reid looked so relieved it surprised her. Apparently he really thought she wouldn't want to stay with him anymore. Given, she wasn't expecting to just move in with him because that would be awfully quick, but she wasn't going to let him stay home alone after he had his spleen removed.

"I'll be right back. I told the team I'd call when you woke up," JJ said.

Out in the hall, JJ punched Emily's speed dial and waited the two rings before she answered.

"Is he awake?" were the first words Emily spoke when she answered the phone. Seeing JJ's number flash on the caller ID was a relief. They all knew Reid would wake up, but almost losing him already had put them all on edge. Derek stopped as he neared her desk, listening to the conversation.

"Yeah, he's awake. The doctor said he can go home tomorrow, but he's gotta take it easy."

Emily breathed a sigh of relief and gave Derek the thumbs up.

"Thank God," she said. "Do you need somewhere to stay tonight?"

"Uh, I think I'm gonna sleep here actually," JJ said, the pitch of her voice a little higher. Emily narrowed her eyes, recognizing the voice from when JJ wasn't telling the full truth. It generally only happened in regard to her personal life, but it was something she picked up on quickly. Derek raised an eyebrow when he saw Emily's suspicious expression.

"At the hospital?" Emily asked. Derek had almost started walking away, but he stopped and waited to hear the rest.

"Yeah. I want to make sure he gets home alright and everything." Emily couldn't help smiling. In the blur of urgency she hadn't been able to notice much, but in the aftermath she could see the look on JJ's face when Reid fell and it was more then just losing a teammate. She had known that Reid was crazy about JJ for a while now, and she'd seen the way JJ's blue eyes would make furtive glances in his direction. It had always been an impossibility since JJ was with Will, but now...

"Of course. Let me know if you guys need anything," Emily said, keeping the grin out of her voice. She hung up and picked up a file to flip through so she wouldn't just grin like an idiot in Derek's direction.

"What was that?" he asked. He had an expression like he'd wait there until she spoke so Emily shrugged nonchalantly.

"Reid's awake but has to take it easy. JJ's making sure he gets home and everything," she said.

"Not that. The goofy grin you were just wearing."

"Oh. Just giddy with relief, I suppose. Coffee sounds amazing. No cream, two sugars, right?" she asked, walking away fast enough so she didn't hear his response. Derek wasn't stupid, but she didn't think she needed to broadcast her realizations just yet. Why not give things time to settle?


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Wow, I am just getting slower and slower at posting...slow and steady wins the race? I don't know, something like that. Anyway, I don't own anything (no matter how hard I wish), especially the statistics and facts that Reid quotes this chapter. Let me know what you guys think! Reviews always appreciated, and if you ask a question in a review I will answer it! **

"Hey, no! I said I'll get it," JJ said, pushing Reid's shoulder back into the couch before he could try and pull a quick move. She'd been babying him a little for the past five days, and he swore he was fine, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"Come on! You've been coddling for the past five days and slowly degrading the small amount of masculinity I have left!" he said as she walked to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. Her laugh resounded from the kitchen and he cracked a huge grin. He watched the sway of her hips as she walked back, wanting to run his hands all over her body. She'd insisted all week that sex would be too strenuous. She'd satiated him in other ways and he'd reciprocated as best he could but she didn't like him to exert himself too physically.

"I'm sorry! I just worry, ok?" she said, handing him the glass of water and sitting back down.

"You know the doctor said I didn't have to be so careful after the first three days," he said. She'd been in the room when the doctor told her but she seemed to have conveniently forgotten that detail. He was pretty sure she still felt like it was her fault and was possibly over-compensating, but he had told her it wasn't her fault a thousand times. Even Emily had called her several times to check up and they'd had the same conversation.

"Ugh, fine! What do you want to do with your new found freedom?" she asked, tossing her hands up in defeat. She had a couple ideas about what she wanted to do—jumping his bones being one of the many—but she wanted him to choose. She'd kept him bed-ridden for longer then necessary, but she felt like she owed him at least that if not so much more.

Reid had a pensive thought like he was formulating a plan which made JJ both excited and nervous. That face usually came with something sneaky, the way he was narrowing his hazel eyes at her with purpose. He sat up a little and leaned back on his elbows, studying her carefully.

"I think we should go somewhere," he said. That clearly wasn't the end of his idea, but he started with just that. Silence after told her she needed to continue.

"Ok, where would you like to go?" she asked slowly, drawing the words out. Her interest was piqued.

"I think you should put on a really nice dress, and I should put on a suit, and we should go to dinner at a location of my choosing. We can embrace our societal gender standards for the night," he said with his crooked grin. That wasn't what she thought he was going to say at all, but she was all for the idea.

"That sounds amazing. I'll have to go by my place and get some stuff, though," she said. The idea of going there was not appealing in the least, but it wasn't like she could put it off forever. She'd paid rent for another month so she could have time to find a place, but she'd still been avoiding it.

"Oh. I can go with you, if you want," he offered immediately.

"Actually, I think I'll ask Emily. It's her day off, maybe she can help me get ready, then it can be a surprise," she said with a smile. Reid grinned wide, his white teeth beautiful.

Reid couldn't remember if he'd ever seen JJ in formal attire, but he was incredibly excited for the experience. She was beautiful in his t-shirt with no make-up and shorts, but he could only imagine how stunning she'd be at dinner.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. They'd kissed a hundred times by now but it was always just as amazing as the first time. More familiar, so they'd gotten somehow better at it, but it had the same intense impact as before. He pressed a hand to the back of her head and ran a tongue over her bottom lip to deepen the kiss. She smiled against him and met his tongue with hers but before he could get too out of hand she stopped him.

"I have to call Emily!" she said, standing up and going to the kitchen to get her phone.

"I knew the denial of oxygen and sustenance could kill but I had no idea the effect you would have," he groaned. JJ shot him a mischievous smile over her shoulder while she pressed her phone to her ear.

"Hey!" Emily said as she answered the phone. JJ heard the meow of Sergio in the background.

"Having a good day off?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, Sergio and I have been sleeping and watching TV. What's up?" Emily asked. JJ almost felt bad for pulling her away from her relaxation, but if Emily really didn't want to do it JJ was sure she would say no.

"I have a bit of a favor to ask, but if you don't want to on your day off I really understand," JJ said.

"Go for it. Movies are getting a little boring," she said with a laugh.

"Reid is taking me to dinner tonight, but I need to stop by my place to pick up some stuff. I thought maybe you should come with and help me get ready?" JJ asked in question form. She could practically hear the smile on the other end of the form but she waited for the response without comment.

"I'll be there in twenty."

"Ok, so you'll be back here at six?" Reid asked.

"Yes, on the dot. Where are we going anywhere?" she asked as she hoisted her go bag onto her shoulder.

"You'll have to wait and see."

"Hey, so I was wondering if it was ok if I stay here a little longer. Just until I find my own place," she said, her expression apologetic. Reid couldn't think of anywhere he wanted her to be more, but he understood it was too soon to ask her to move in with him. He didn't want to rush her.

"Of course," he said. Emily knocked on the door so he gave her a kiss and then she was out the door.

"Are you nervous?" Emily asked, shooting JJ a sideways glance as they drove the short distance to her old apartment. JJ had been picking at a stray string on her jeans since they'd gotten in the car. It was possible JJ wouldn't tell her anyway—she always kept her personal life private. But with everything that had happened it wasn't like Emily didn't know what was going on with her lately.

"Yeah, I don't know why though. It's not like he'll be there," she said with an almost embarrassed smile and a slight shake of her head.

"It makes perfect sense. No one likes to go back to unpleasant places," Emily said. She knew she would never go back to where Doyle had her, even before he stabbed her in the stomach. Places brought back memories that were hard to deal with. JJ nodded and went back to looking out the window. Right. Onto lighter topics.

"So, dinner," Emily said with a knowing voice. JJ gave a real grin that time, wide and genuine. Emily could only remember her looking so genuinely happy a couple times, and it made her feel better. At least with all that was going on she got to be happy. She deserved it after everything.

"Yes, dinner," she said.

"Derek is getting suspicious. I don't know how much longer I can hold him off," Emily said with a laugh. He'd been bugging her about it all week, questioning her any time one of them came up in conversation. He knew she was lying, he was a profiler after all, but he couldn't know exactly what she was lying about. She came up with something new and outrageous every time that just left him shaking his head.

"Let him wonder. I don't want everyone at the office knowing just yet," JJ said. Emily couldn't hold back the laugh.

"JJ, everyone at the office knows on some level. Even Hotchner seems to have a hunch."

They pulled into a parking spot at JJ's complex and the conversation stopped for a moment. It started up once they were by the door again.

"I haven't been by since everything, so I have no idea what kind of shape the place is in," JJ said. She was hoping Will hadn't totally trashed the place since Emily had never been over before. It was a trivial thing to be concerned about, but she was also worried about what he might have done to her things.

She unlocked the door and they pushed in. It could have been worse all things considered. It was completely ruined. There were definitely some broken dishes, but what caught her eye was the mirror on the table with white power on it.

"That explains a lot," Emily said. JJ nodded and continued in, heading back to the bedroom and holding her breath for whatever she would find. Surprisingly it seemed to be fairly untouched, things seeming normal. He'd dumped out her bedside drawer probably looking for some proof of her infidelity and things were tossed around when he inevitably found none.

"I'm surprised it's so clean," she said, setting her go bag on the bed and looking around a little further. JJ was glad Emily didn't say anything. The woman was smart and could probably sense that JJ didn't need any type of advice or comfort. She just needed a moment to process the feelings and move forward. After a second of just looking around, JJ pulled the closet doors open and gasped.

"What?"

JJ looked at the tatters that some of her clothes had been left in. Not all of it was destroyed, but a good portion starting from the right and moving to the left. Some pieces had clearly been gone after with scissors or knives, other lighter pieces had pen marks. They didn't write anything out, but they didn't have to in order to do their job.

"Oh," Emily said from behind her, clearly seeing what was left behind.

JJ wasn't surprised by what he'd done to her things, she was surprised by how it didn't seem to hit her that hard. What impact could marred clothing have after watching Will shoot the man she loved in the stomach? The clothes seemed like barely anything to even glance at.

"Well, I guess it gives me an excuse to go shopping," JJ said wryly. She pushed all the damaged clothes to the right side of the closet and reached far into the left side to pull the untouched clothes into view. The shredding all seemed to be done hastily so only the things that were immediately available were harmed. Everything in the back seemed fine. JJ found the garment bag she was looking for and pulled it out. There were three dresses she had to choose from which is what Emily was there for.

"Here are the options," JJ said as she unzipped the bag and showed Emily the three dresses. There was a long pause where Emily just looked from the dresses to JJ. It lasted so long JJ started to get worried but finally Emily spoke.

"You realize you have to try all three on, right?"

"Hello?" Reid answered his phone without glancing at the caller ID. He was in the middle of shaving after his shower in preparation for his and JJ's big date.

"Hey, kid," Derek's voice carried through the speaker. It wasn't the first time Derek had called during his recovery and Reid found it entertaining that every time he got the call the man found a "subtle" way to ask about him and JJ. They hadn't really discussed telling the rest of the team, so he'd tactfully dodged the questions, spouted some statistics about spleen injuries, and hurried off the phone. Now, though, they were going on a date and Emily knew, so was it ok to spill?

"Hey," Reid replied, setting his phone to speaker so he could continue shaving. JJ and Emily had been gone a while and it was about four thirty now. He didn't have much to do in the way of "getting ready", and he had no idea what went into a woman's preparation routine, so he'd spent some time reading before he even started.

"How are you feeling? You back up and about yet?" Derek asked. Reid could hear the sound of Derek's car in the background.

"Yeah, much better actually. A little sore but otherwise good," he said. It seemed too good to be true that he hadn't nicked himself yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time so he continued carefully.

"Good, good. So, what do you have going on for tonight?" Derek's knowing voice made Reid think he already had a good idea of what he was up to, and the information most likely got to him through Garcia. Almost all personal information came through Garcia. It would be easy to come out and tell the truth, but frustrating Derek Morgan was a good pass-time and he intended to keep it up.

"I can tell your in the car right now and I don't want to be responsible for your death," Reid said.

"What?"

"Driver distraction is a contributing to majority of accidents. More specifically, 25% of car accidents are caused by talking on the cell-phone. In 2002 alone it was calculated that using a cell-phone caused approximately 2,600 deaths and nearly 126 times that in injuries. Not-adding-to-that-statistic-k-bye."

Reid hit the end button before he even finished the word "bye". JJ and Reid were planning to return to work the following Monday—two days away—and Derek could use that time to pester the hell out of them more relentlessly. It's harder to get away from someone without an end-button.

After the shaving was completed, Reid walked to his room with the towel around his hips and started going through his closet. He had no idea what color dress JJ would be wearing, but he decided a slate grey dress shirt would go with most things. He'd never put much thought into his wardrobe before, but it seemed like an appropriate even to care about. He got out his black slacks and dress shoes and laid everything out on the bed.

He felt like getting ready wasn't taking enough time, but he couldn't think of anything he was forgetting to do. His hair did it's own thing and he was never one to try and style it. Putting on cologne took maybe a second. He spent a little more time picking out a tie even though he was pretty sure he would end up with black.

How could women possibly take so much time getting ready?

"I don't know, Emily. Does the make-up look too...hoe-ish?"

JJ was standing in front of the mirror analyzing their work. Emily had been right about the dress choice. The midnight blue really set her eyes off, and with her blonde complexion she had to admit she was a knock-out. It was fitted in the chest and waist and then flowed down to her feet with just a little pooling on the ground. Once she put on her shoes it'd be the perfect length. She'd curled her hair—nothing too fancy—and put on a pair of pearl drop earrings.

The make-up was her only concern. She didn't wear very much usually, but she'd been trying for the smokey-eye look and in her opinion it was a disaster. She knew Emily would give her the honest opinion she needed.

"Honestly, I'd go with less make-up. You usually don't wear so much and it looks..."

Emily searched for the right word.

"Overwhelming."

JJ laughed and went into the bathroom to remove the rest of it. With the brighter lighting of the bathroom she really did look like a clown wearing so much. She was strangely nervous. Reid had seen her every way there was. Au natural after a long case. Sweaty after working out. Naked. So why she was worried about him seeing her all dressed up was lost to her. Maybe it was because it was one way he hadn't seen her yet. That was the only excuse.

Once the clown make-up was gone she went back into the room.

"Should I just do it the way I always do?" she asked. It seemed so boring, like she should do something special this time. But Emily was right, so much make-up on her was overwhelming.

"Do something a little different, but yeah, I'd stick with light," Emily said. She was sitting on JJ's bed smiling at her phone like she'd gotten an amusing text. JJ raised an eyebrow.

"Something funny?"

Emily Prentiss looked guilty. That was not a look JJ was used to seeing on her.

"Derek is texting asking about you and Reid. Again," she said. The guilty expression told JJ that maybe Emily had let something slip, but she didn't really care. She was pretty sure it wasn't a huge secret to anyone before, and it definitely wouldn't be now.

"And?"

"Apparently Reid spouted some facts about car accidents and hung up on him."

"Naturally."

JJ finished up with her make-up and turned to Emily to get an assessment.

"Amazing. Perfect," she said with a huge smile. "Let's get you back up to Spencer's."

Reid tapped his foot repetitively as the clocks minute hand neared the twelve. Obviously he knew she would show up, but that wasn't what he was worried about. He suddenly felt incredibly nervous, like this was his first time with her. They'd already had sex, and she'd been staying at his house, but they hadn't gone out to a formal dinner and it seemed like a huge deal.

He heard female voices outside his door and his heart jumped into his throat when the handle turned. He stood up to greet them and was nearly knocked back onto his ass when he saw JJ.

The dress was a beautiful dark purple—almost plum—with a halter top and a tasteful plunge into her beautiful cleavage. It was a somewhat fitted in the bodice and loosened as it became a longer skirt. Her hair was laying curly against her shoulders and her blue eyes were a knock-out as always. He could feel his lips stretching into a huge grin and there was no way to contain it. It spread like wild fire until it felt like his whole body was smiling.

"You look amazing," he said, stepping forward to give her a soft kiss.

Emily was wearing the most hilarious grin, like she'd never been more pleased with herself, but she quickly excused herself so they could get off on their date.

"So where are we going?" JJ asked once they were in Reid's car heading to the secret destination. He looked over and smiled, loving the curiosity that was bright in her eyes. She'd asked three times since she'd gotten to his house and he could tell she wasn't planning on letting up. But two could play that game.

"A restaurant," he said vaguely.

"Annnnd what does the restaurant serve?"

"Food."

"SPENCER!" she finally exclaimed, laughing hysterically. Reid couldn't help laughing too.

"We'll be there soon. Be patient."

JJ's jaw dropped incredulously and all Reid could do was laugh at the mock expression of astonishment.

"I'm always patient!"

"Yeah, when you're telling everyone in the media about serial killers," he said. He looked over in time to see her smile that beautiful, genuine smile that he had always loved. He couldn't imagine a woman that he would love more than her because she was his ideal. He held everyone else up to the standard of JJ and all women failed to make the grade. To him, she was unbeatable.

They pulled up in front of the restaurant in the valet area and JJ gasped in delighted surprise. It was one of the priciest restaurants in town, but more importantly he'd heard her say how badly she wanted to go there a million times. She had talked about how much she loved the idea of getting so dressed up and going somewhere like that, and he was ecstatic that he was fulfilling that wish for her.

"Are you serious?" she asked, covering her hand with her mouth in anticipation.

Reid didn't reply. He just smiled and got out of the car, running around the front to open her door for her. He popped the handle and lent JJ his hand as she got out of the car. In his opinion the heels looked precarious, but she seemed very stable in them which he couldn't help but find incredibly sexy.

"Did you know that when women wear high heeled shoes frequently their bodies try to compensate for their weight not being spread evenly over the sole of the foot? Balancing on the falls of the feet tenses the calf, hip, and back muscles and increases muscle fatigue," he said. She raised an eyebrow at him humorously as he handed the keys to a valet attendant who was giving him a perplexed expression. JJ stepped in front of him before he could get close to the door and ran a finger down his tie.

"Maybe you'll just have to give me a massage later for my weary muscles," she said suggestively, biting her lower lip at the end. Reid nearly threw her on the ground right in front of the restaurant, but he kept his urges at bay. He felt himself start to harden in his slacks and tried to think of anything but having sex with JJ.

"That can be arranged," he finally said, his voice squeaking a little part way through.

JJ smiled and turned to enter the restaurant and the way her hips swayed when she walked had him standing at full attention. The only thing that saved him was that the front of his jacket helped conceal his hard-on, but only slightly. It wouldn't escape JJ's attention, he was certain of that.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Out of guilt for taking so long to post new chapters I thought I would post two at once. Your reviews are greatly appreciated as always, and I do not own anything. Especially any statistical data that Reid cites. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think! 3 **

"I cannot think of a more perfect date," JJ said as she sank her fork into the slice of cheesecake she was sharing with Reid again. Dinner had been amazing, as it should've been since Reid was paying enormous amounts of money there. He assured her repeatedly though that the price was no object and that he wanted her to have whatever she wanted. The waitstaff had been amazing, giving them a booth in a corner so they could sit close together and have some privacy. The lighting was dim; the perfect environment for a romantic date.

"I was hoping you'd like it," Reid said, leaning forward and capturing her lips in a chaste kiss. Well, chaste in comparison to some of their other exchanges. JJ had made a conscience effort to eat light because she was planning on jumping his bones as soon as they walked through the apartment door. She had a little surprised planned for him as well and she was eager to give it to him. In more ways than one.

JJ stroked Reid's cheek with her thumb, relishing in the fact that she was with someone so perfect for her. There was no one else she wanted the way she wanted Reid. She couldn't remember a time she'd ever been set on fire so easily in someone's presence. She could remember, however, how sometimes at work she would see him at his desk chewing on a pen and somehow becoming aroused.

"I love you," she said. Reid smiled huge and turned to kiss the palm of her hand.

"I love you too."

After finishing the cheesecake, Reid paid the check and they made their way back outside to pick up the car. The closer they got to being home the more excited JJ became, and the mood didn't escape Reid's attention. Nothing ever did.

"You seem excited," he said, looking at her quizzically as he opened the car door for her.

"It's just been such a good night," she said, resisting the urge to touch her ear which Emily had told her was JJ's tell. According to Emily, JJ always reached up and touched her ear in some way when she was lying or telling a half-truth.

Reid continued to shoot her looks as they drove back to his house, but she kept her expression as neutral as possible to not give anything away. The drive felt impossibly long since she was waiting anxiously to rip his clothes off, but eventually they reached their destination. Once in the door, she decided on a way to execute her plan.

"Wine?" Reid asked, heading to the kitchen.

_Perfect,_ JJ thought mischievously.

"Yes, thank you. I'll be right back," she said, heading to the bathroom as casually as she could.

Her go back was on the counter where she'd left it with her sneaky supplies inside. Slipping out of her dress, she retrieved the black, lacy lingerie she'd purchased for his very occasion. A black, lacy balconette bra that pushed her breasts up into a very flattering fashion, and a black thong with a wide lace waistband. It went perfectly with the black pumps she'd worn to dinner. It wasn't in JJ's nature to be self-centered, but she couldn't help thinking she looked very sexy in the attire.

She listened through the door, trying to figure out where exactly Reid was. She heard him sit the wine bottle on the table, and listened to his shoes as they walked in the direction of the hall. She wanted him in the bedroom, but she had a feeling he was headed for the living room. Time to improvise.

"Reid?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you grab my bag out of the bedroom?" she asked innocently.

"Sure," he said. She looked at her bag on the counter a smirked, waiting as his steps traveled to the end of the hall. Once she knew he was in the doorway she quietly opened the bathroom door and walked towards the room, adding some extra sway to her step. When she got to the doorway he had his back to her, looking around the floor for the bag he wasn't going to find. She leaned her elbow against the door frame and waited.

"JJ, I don't see your ba-"

His sentence dropped off as he turned to face her, his eyes popping wide as he stared at her in his doorway. For a second he actually looked like he might faint, but he swallowed and seemed to regain his balance.

"Wow."

It was the only word Reid seemed able to muster, which was exactly what she wanted.

Reid could hardly keep his brain functioning with JJ standing there in that sinful attire. He wanted to throw her on the bed and ravage her but he couldn't get his legs to work. He only regained control of his body when she started slowly walking towards him, a little extra hip to her steps. He was painfully hard and she hadn't even touched him yet.

"You are wearing far too much clothing, Dr. Reid," JJ said suggestively as she began working on the buttons of his dress shirt. He swallowed. Why was her saying "Dr. Reid" so sexy? He'd never really been into dirty talk, but basically any sexual words from JJ got him going in a second. He doubted he could execute a sexy phrase as well as she could so instead he grabbed her face with his hands and kissed her, starting slow and then building into an uncontrollable fire.

JJ reached down and pressed her hand against the bulge in his slacks, rubbing up and down until he had to break the kiss to catch his breath. JJ gave him a dangerous smile before giving it another hard rub and grabbing his lips with hers once again.

Soon JJ was pushing his shirt off his shoulders, her smooth hands ghosting over his skin and making his spine light on fire with pleasure. Once his shirt was on the ground, JJ started working on his belt, meeting his demanding kisses with equal force. Her teeth nipped his bottom lip and he thought his whole body was going to explode. His pants fell to the ground in a puddle around his feet. He broke the kiss long enough to reach down and remove his pants and socks in one quick movement.

He grabbed her waist, his fingers digging into skin, and pulled her body tight against his before he started trailing kisses across her neck. Last time they'd had sex she'd been bruised and battered so they'd been slow and careful. Now they could be as reckless as they wanted and that was exactly what Reid intended to do.

JJ wrapped her fingers in his hair and gripped it hard, pushing his mouth harder against her neck and letting out a low moan. Reid let his hands run down her back and wrap around her ass to lift her against him. She wrapped her legs around his body and took his mouth with force, still gripping his hair like she may fall. He walked until his legs hit the bed and then he climbed on, laying JJ on the bed underneath him and instantly grinding his hips against hers.

To his surprise JJ pushed up with her hips and managed to roll them over so she was straddling his hips. Last time she hadn't taken such control and Reid found himself practically squirming from arousal. He sat up so he could kiss her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, her tongue searching his mouth. He ran his hands up her delicate rib cage around to her bra clasp, releasing it quickly and bringing it down her arms until he could throw it off her bed. His hands automatically went to her breasts, grabbing them roughly, his thumbs teasing her nipples. She arched her back into him so he put an arm around her waist and took her right nipple into his mouth. JJ moaned and pushed her hips against him, grinding back and forth until Reid thought he would lose it.

Reid grazed her nipple with his teeth and she let out a little yelp. He looked up to apologize, worried that he hurt her, but she was biting her lip with her eyes closed before she looked at him.

"Don't worry, I like it rough," she said, before slamming her mouth against his again.

He nearly came right then and there. She was so sexy and her body was impossibly hot against his. He rolled them to the side and pulled off her underwear as quickly as possible. He rested his weight on his elbow and JJ laid flat on her back next to him, kicking her underwear off her ankles. He roughly pushed her legs apart and ran his palm over the cleft in her thighs, getting rewarded by JJ's back arching and the sweetest moan he'd ever heard.

His finger dove between her slick heat, running over the length twice before he pushed it inside. JJ moved her hips in time with his hand, gripping his working arm until he could feel her nails practically seeking into his skin. It was the best pain he could ever remember feeling. He pushed another finger in, groaning at how tight she was before picking up his face. He leaned forward and took her nipple into his mouth, sucking it and toying with his tongue.

JJ gripped his hair and arched her breasts further into his waiting mouth, her moans verging on animalistic. Reid didn't know how much longer he could keep himself out of her. His hand wasn't enough, he needed to be inside her. As though JJ read his mind, she pulled his head back.

"Fuck me," she said.

That was all the motivation he needed. He ditched his briefs and watched as JJ rolled onto her stomach and propped on her hands and knees. He didn't know that she would want to do that position, but it excited him that he did. It wasn't a position he had much experience, but he was a genius and a very quick learner.

JJ didn't feel at all self conscious as Reid knelt behind her. It was clear in his eyes and the way he touched her that he thought she was the most beautiful person in the world, and she felt the exact same way about him. Instead of automatically pushing into her, she felt Reid's hot length against her left butt cheek as he leaned forward and kissed up her spine, reaching another arm under her to rub her breasts with one hand.

JJ didn't know that she could get any wetter than she already was, but she proved herself wrong, blooming once again as he bit the skin on her shoulder. Without her thinking to do it, her hips pushed back against his, seeking release that she was aching for at that point. It wouldn't surprise her if she came as soon as he was inside her. To her relief he leaned back and lined up at her entrance, pushing in slowly and placing his hands on her hips.

JJ couldn't contain the loud moan that escaped as she got the relief she needed. She had been right. It would take her maybe two thrusts before she lost it. Reid groaned deep in his chest as he completely sheathed himself in her core. He pulled back and pushed back in. JJ could already feel the building in her lower stomach, the muscles sparking and twitching in preparation. He pulled out again and she pushed her hips back into his as he entered again.

The release hit her hard, spreading through her nerves like an untamed fire and bursting like fireworks. She didn't even realize she'd been practically yelling until the release started to fade. Reid's hands were tight on her hips now, like he was close to losing control as well, but he started a slow pace anyway. She was still sensitive from her last release and it only made it feel more amazing.

His pace quickened and he was driving into her deep, pulling out until he was nearly completely out of her before pushing back in. JJ was meeting his thrust every time, urging him to go faster until he took the hint and started slamming into her. He leaned forward and pushed her hair out of the way so he could get at her neck, pulling at the skin with his eager mouth. JJ arched her back, feeling how it changed the way he was hitting things. She tried moving off her hands until she was practically only on her knees and her back was touching Reid's chest. One hand ghosted over her rib and grabbed her left breast, squeezing until it hurt a little bit and getting JJ that much closer to her next peak. His other hand ran down her stomach until his fingers found her clit. JJ threw her head back, resting it against his shoulder and giving him full access to her throat. The feelings were nearly sensory overload.

A hand on her breast, one working her clit while he rammed into her and his hot mouth trailing all over her neck, taking small bites every once in a while. The change in his pace let her know he was getting close and his breath was ragged by her ear before he took the lobe into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth.

JJ let out another sharp moan as she felt her insides tighten and coil, ready to explode at any given moment. Reid pressed harder on her clit and gave it two good full circles, sending her far over the edge. She reached back and grabbed onto his hair as though it would brace her. The energy shot through her limbs until her toes felt tingly and she became light headed. The feeling of Reid releasing into her gave her another round. It was by far the longest orgasm she'd ever had.

Neither of them said anything for a while, the only sound in the room was panting. Reid pulled out and JJ laid forward, her thighs too tired to hold herself up any longer. Reid laid on his back next to her, his face glistening with sweat and his eyes practically euphoric. She smiled at him and they suddenly both started laughing.

"That was by far the most...intense sex I've ever had," Reid said, a huge smile plastered to his face. JJ propped up on her elbows and leaned over to kiss him. Her body felt like she'd had a full body work out, and she welcomed every ache.

"Best. Orgasm. Ever."

JJ punctuated each word with another kiss.

Once the sweat dried and their bodies cooled enough for the blankets to sound appealing, they curled into bed and talked for a while. Falling asleep was fast and easy, and JJ slept like she was on a cloud.

Cloud nine, to be exact.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** **Really positive reviews from the last chapters posted! I'm gonna start incorporating more of the team and cases, so please let me know if I'm doing an alright job. I love getting reviews so keep them coming! I'm not going into depth with the cases—they're really more an excuse to have all of the team working together. If you want a case fic, I apologize but this is not going to focus on the case hardly at all. Sorry it took so long! **

It was the first day back at work for both JJ and Reid, and so far things were going great. So far there hadn't been an urgent case that'd required their travel, and everyone had been acting pretty normal. Derek shot him a lot of weird, suspicious looks. Emily smiled deviously a lot, and Hotch was...well...Hotch. Face usually pinched in concern and focusing on work non-stop.

Reid took comfort in the fact that things were pretty much the same around the office. Hotch tried to tell him he should stay out of the field for a while, but Reid talked his way out of that one as quickly as possible.

"Conference room, five minutes," Hotch's voice pulled Reid from his paper work.

Emily glanced up at him and made an ominous look before gathering her papers and heading in the direction of the room. Reid watched JJ leave her office and walk towards the conference room, her pencil skirt hugging every curve. He found it even harder not to get distracted by her now that he knew what that outfit covered. Every inch of it. He felt a boiling in his stomach so he quickly recited every grisly fact about murderers in his head in quick succession. The burn stopped, killing any erection that was trying to occur.

He hurried to the conference room and found a seat next to Emily. Unfortunately when he looked up he caught a glimpse down JJ's blouse, but he tried to act like he hadn't noticed. Emily had certainly noticed because when he looked at her she had a knowing smile that made him blush.

Once everyone was in the conference room, JJ stood up and turned on the monitor, showing grisly images of various dead women in grassy fields. He instantly saw the connection that they were all brunette with blue eyes, but that was fairly obvious. He couldn't find the direct correlation until he knew more about the victims.

"Five women were found murdered in some fields surround Dallas, Texas. As far as we can tell there's been no sexual assault, but each of their husband's had gone missing just shortly before their bodies were found. The men's bodies have yet to be found."

JJ flipped to pictures of the husbands who had nothing physically in common. The crimes clearly had more to do with the women then the men, he just had to figure out what the determining factor was. He did his best to focus on the file in front of him and ignore the wafts of JJ's scent that were rolling his way, also trying to push away the inappropriate thoughts they elicited.

"Wheel's up in twenty," Hotch said, picking his files up and walking out of the room. Reid waited until everyone else had left the conference room and then made a discrete escape to JJ's office. He'd come up with an excuse about paperwork or something later, but right then he just needed to be alone with her for a second.

He scooted in the door and closed the door behind him quietly, glad that the blinds were already closed. One less step before he could capture JJ's delicious lips in his. JJ turned around, her eyes surprised but then relieved to see him.

"I wish you didn't look so good in a sweater," JJ said with a grin, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him. His lips curled into a smile against hers and he ran his hands down from her shoulders to her waist.

"Maybe you could tone down your perfume," Reid said, pulling back to look at her big blue eyes.

"Reid, I don't wear perfume."

Reid was about to respond when there was a light knock on JJ's door and the sound of a knob turning. They jumped away from each other like they'd been struck by lightning. JJ ran her hands over her pencil skirt to smooth it out and it took everything Reid had to keep his eyes from scanning her frame again. Instead he popped open a folder and stood facing JJ like he was in the middle of asking her a question.

"I don't seem to have that paper work you uh...asked about, but I'll keep looking," JJ said, her voice flustered and unconvincing. Reid knew if he had spoken first his voice would have been two octaves higher than normal so he couldn't blame her for being so obvious.

Derek was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed and that knowing grin plastered all over his face. JJ had her eyes widened innocently and Reid glanced up like he had just noticed the man's presence.

"Looking for some paperwork, kid?" Derek asked, his smile wide and smug.

Reid felt his cheeks turns red and wished he didn't have such an obvious tell. The team had the promise not to profile each other, but it was hard to ignore someone blushing. Reid cleared his throat in a futile attempt to redeem himself.

"Yeah, I was looking for the, uh...last reports I wrote. I wanted to look them over again," he said, his voice fast and uneven. Derek did not look convinced.

"The case has been closed for weeks."

JJ and Reid exchanged glances.

"Ok, Derek, you caught us," JJ said in exasperation. He already knew, he was just being smug about it now and there was no use in suffering through that. Derek Morgan did smug better than anyone she knew. "Now what do you want?"

Derek laughed and shook his head, clearly enjoying the moment. Reid dropped the file back onto the file cabinet, deciding to wait through Derek's moment of undue pride. Reid just wanted him to leave so he could get back to JJ, but he realized he was at work, and his carnal urges would have to wait.

The deal was that they had to keep it professional, which in bed where they were both naked it sounded easy enough to keep their hands off each other in public. Now, the task seemed far more dubious.

JJ tried to follow what Derek was saying about what Hotch wanted them to do when they landed in Dallas, but she could still see Reid out of the corner of her eye, and it was driving her insane. She couldn't remember ever having been so distracted by a man in a sweater vest before. Ever.

"He just wanted me to fill you in," Derek said before turning and heading out of the office.

JJ stared after him dumbfounded, unable to fill in a single thing that he'd just said. This was going to become a problem—she was usually so focused.

"I didn't catch any of that," she said with a shake of her head.

"When we land, Hotch wants you and Rossi to visit the families of the first two female victims. Reid, you and Garcia are going to review the profiles to see what the connection between the couples is. Prentiss and I are going to meet with the families of the husbands."

JJ stared at him after he was done reciting what Derek had said word for word in a hilariously macho voice. It was a helpful ability, she just couldn't imagine being able to do it. She was smiling at him and he had his oblivious expression that she loved so much.

She loved all of his expressions.

"What?" he asked.

"Your brain is very sexy," JJ said, stepping forward and giving him a lingering kiss. It was quicker than she'd like, but she couldn't get too worked up before the long plane ride to Texas.

Reid was cursing Texas for being so hot, because it meant that he wasn't only fantasizing that JJ was wearing a tank top while they surveyed the field where the bodies had been dumped. The local law enforcement had to remove the last body so that scavengers didn't destroy what evidence there was. Had the body still been in place, Reid wouldn't have been able to focus on the way the tank top hugged the lines of JJ's body, or the way a thin sheen of sweat was glistening on her collar bone.

If he didn't have the ability to keep up with the multiple conversations all at once, he would have been absolutely no help at all. Luckily, he was able to contribute to the case and stare at JJ like she was the only person in Texas.

So far, they'd figured out that the wives were the important piece of the puzzle. All of the wives were lean, blonde, and financially well-off. The resemblance to JJ didn't escape his notice, but he kept it to himself. It wasn't really something that _needed_ to be pointed out. There was no reason to think she was in danger, but he couldn't help feeling worried none the less.

"You are a _very_ obvious gawker," Prentiss said, pulling Reid out of his focused gaze. She glanced over at him and smiled, placing her hands on her hips. Reid cleared his throat.

"I figured everyone was distracted enough for me to be less discrete," he said, acting like he'd realized he was being so obvious. Emily wasn't fooled—she didn't have to profile him to know he was lying. It was plain in his voice and the way his mouth was practically hanging open.

"Don't worry, I won't blow your cover," she said with a short laugh.

"Thanks," he said, returning her laugh and finally tearing his eyes away from JJ to glance at Emily.

It'd been a long day and the hotel rooms were split up fairly. Reid was with Derek, JJ was with Prentiss. JJ doubted that Hotch and Rossi had to share a room, but she didn't really resent it. Knowing Reid was sleeping in a room just a couple doors down didn't make it easy though.

"So, Derek said you guys confessed today," Emily said, plopping down onto one of the beds, newly changed into her pajamas. JJ laughed and pulled her hair out of its towel, the cool strands laying against her shoulders. The hotel was air conditioned thankfully, but both of them were donning cool clothing none the less.

"Of course he did," JJ said with a roll of her eyes, combing through her hair with her fingers. It was drying quickly and she didn't want it to tangle too much.

"He said you admitted it more quickly than he expected," Prentiss said.

"He was wearing that obnoxious smug expression. You know the one," JJ said. Prentiss raised her eyebrows and nodded, her grin cracking wide. JJ's intuition started kicking in. There was something lascivious about Emily's gaze at the mention of Derek's name.

"Is there something you would like to tell me Emily?" JJ asked, trying to suppress the smile that was making her lips curl. Emily tried not to smile—JJ could see the muscles in her face twitching with the effort. JJ's phone buzzed on the side table, interrupting her train of thought. She grabbed the phone to check the text message.

It was from Reid: **Such a long day. Thinking of you :) **

She'd always thought he was a sweet guy, but she'd never expected him to be such a gooey romantic. The text didn't necessarily classify as gooey, but it was sweet, and it was just one more thing she loved about him.

"Text from Reid?" Emily asked. JJ glanced up, realizing she had a stupid smile on her face. The same smile she'd had earlier when he'd purposefully brushed her hand grabbing a file. The same smile she'd had when she "accidentally" bumped into him while walking through a doorway. They hadn't had a moment alone all day, and after spending so much time with him the separation seemed so much more extreme than it normally would have.

"Don't change the subject," JJ said, setting the phone in her lap and leveling the brunette in her stare.

"I-"

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. It was midnight, and JJ was desperately hoping there hadn't been a development in the case. She needed more of a break than a couple hours. They were waiting until the next day to talk to the other families. Garcia was working on gathering some more information—without very many connections she was having to run a lot searches. Luckily, Garcia ran well on little sleep and coffee, and she'd recruited Kevin to help her.

Emily hopped off the bed and walked over to the door, looking through the peep hole and then pulling it open. JJ was shocked to see Derek standing on the other side in his plaid pajama pants and white t-shirt.

"What are you doing here?" JJ asked, amused at his casual attire.

"Oh, I was just up and thought I'd come by. See what you ladies were up to," he said, strolling to the far queen bed and laying down casually. JJ was highly suspicious, but then a light bulb came on.

"...aren't you sharing a room with Reid?" JJ asked, trying to keep her voice innocent.

Derek suddenly wore a mock innocent, bewildered expression, placing his index finger on his chin like he's thinking.

"Huh, yeah. I wonder what that kid is doing. Must be bored," he said. He winked at JJ and then grabbed the remote off the side table. Emily walked over and got on the same bed as Derek, thought a decent amount of room away. It didn't escape JJ's notice though.

"I think I left my phone charger in his bag, I'm gonna go grab it," JJ said, knowing the transparency of the lie was blatant.

"Oh yeah," Emily said sarcastically. "wouldn't want that thing to die...since your charger is already plugged into the wall."

"I don't even need to point out how obvious you guys are right now, so let me have my phone charger excuse," JJ said, her voice filled with implications.

Derek and Emily exchanged glances before they both shrugged. Derek reached over, unplugged the charger and tossed it to the other side of the bed, out of sight.

"Hey JJ, where's your charger?" Emily asked, her eyes still stuck to the TV.

"Gee, maybe you left it in Reid's bag. Here's my key card—room 315."

JJ smiled, grabbed the key card that he was holding out to her and tip toed out into the hall, closing the door quietly behind her. She didn't know how close Hotch's room was and she didn't need her boss seeing her sneaking through the hotel hallways past midnight. Especially in shorts, a white tank top and no bra.

She was hoping he'd think it was Derek at first and be caught off guard. The door opened but Reid wasn't in the room. The TV was on and the bathroom light was on though, and she could hear someone moving around in there. She let the door close loudly behind her but didn't say anything.

"Did you find the vending machine?" Reid asked, his voice echoing in the bathroom. JJ tiptoed towards the bathroom, hoping he wouldn't stick his head out before she could sneak up on him.

_God, his voice is sexy,_ JJ thought, reading the door frame and deciding on her approach quickly. She peeked around the door frame, already beaming at the chance to spend some time with him. He glanced up and jumped, then his lips spread into a smile.

"I'm not a vending machine, but I think I'm a good compromise," she said.

He walked forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her body against his.

"You are by far the best replacement for a vending machine. Ever," he said, leaning down and capturing her lips with his. It was a slow, sweet kiss, and it was exactly what she needed. She always loved the way he looked right before bed—his hair messy, flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She usually preferred him with no shirt, but she liked being the one to remove that garment of clothing herself.

"Is it ridiculous that I missed you today?" she said, feeling slightly pathetic admitting it out loud. Reid acted like he was thinking but then shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'm ridiculous too," he said.

JJ smiled and pulled him from the bathroom to the bed. Sex wasn't on her mind just that second—she just wanted to lay down with him. But then again, she knew where that would eventually lead.

Reid was more than happy to lay down with JJ and have some genuine together-time, but for god's sake could she have at least worn a bra? He wasn't complaining, but it was hard to keep his brain—and body for that matter—in an innocent place. JJ settled against his side, laying her head against his chest and draping an arm across his stomach. Her touch was electric, his skin feeling like it shot to 100 degrees Celsius. Boiling point.

"I think what we're experienced could be classified as separation anxiety," JJ said. Reid could tell she was smiling from the way her voice sounded.

"Separation anxiety generally applies to children and occurs in early stages of emotional and mental development. I would have to be your primary caregiver for this to really apply. It would imply that you don't trust I'll return," he said. JJ's frame started shaking and it took him a second to realize the shaking was from laughter.

"I wasn't being serious, Reid," she said, rubbing his chest endearingly.

"Oh," he said, suddenly feeling slight embarrassed at the random splurge of information.

"I love you. You know that, right?" JJ asked, tilting her head up to look at him. Her hair smelt of her usual shampoo—strawberry and rose hips. Those words sounded so sweet falling from her lips.

"I know. I love you too," he said. For some reason he'd never been able to picture himself saying those words with so much conviction, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind. Not in his entire being.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I thought since it took me so long to update, the least I could do was post more than one chapter. Please let me know what you think, because I'm feeling iffy on these chapters! I don't own anything as usual, but God what I wouldn't give to own Dr. Spencer Reid :) **

JJ leaned forward and sealed her lips against his, unable to keep her physical urges at bay now. Besides, it'd been more than 24 hours since they got to have sex. Since she'd been spending so much time at his house, that was practically a record for them. It'd been nearly two times a day, every day.

Reid twisted his fingers in her hair, pushing his lips harder against hers. His hands left her head, but she felt them again on her hips, his firm grasp pulling her over to straddle his hips. She could already feel the bulge in his thin pajama pants and her core was hot with desire.

Reid wasted no time finding the hem of her tank top and pulling it over her head quickly. He seemed to want it now and fast, and she was perfectly willing to get on board with that. He wrapped an arm around her waist and used his other hand to push himself up, laying JJ out on the bed in front of him. Before he pulled back she grabbed his shirt and pulled it off of him swiftly, tossing it on the floor behind her.

His lips crushed hers again for a moment before dragging over to her jaw bone, and then down the column of her throat. He left a heated path all the way down to her right breast, where he sucked her nipple into his mouth, rolling it between his lips and then teasing it with his tongue.

The pleasure shot through JJ's body, landing like a hot coil in her lower stomach. She was practically on the verge of orgasm already and he hadn't even traveled south let. Her breath was coming out in short pants, and her fingers grasped his hair, forcing his mouth harder against her skin. It felt like she couldn't get enough of him. She needed his skin all over hers.

His hand gripped her left breast roughly, his fingers pinching her nipple with force that made her gasp and arch her back. He smiled against her skin as he dragged his mouth over her rib cage. His hands left her breasts to pull her shorts down her legs in one fast movement.

"No panties?" he asked, his voice husky and his eyes heated.

"Lucky coincidence," she said with a raised eye brow. Reid smiled, crawling back up her body to kiss her. She arched her naked body against his, relishing the feeling of his bare skin against hers. He supported his weight on his knees and one hand while the other found her soaked core, the timid pressure enough to drive her crazy.

She lifted her hips against his hand, searching for release but he kept the pressure gentle and inadequate for any type of orgasm. If his finger would just slip a little closer to where she needed him, she'd be home free. He was being stubborn on purpose and she knew hot to motivate him.

She grabbed his bare shoulders, digging her nails in and then pushing her hips up with a slight moan. Her mouth found purchase on his throat and she gave it a searing kiss before taking the skin between her teeth.

That got the reaction she wanted.

His finger slid between the lips, finding her entrance quickly and pinning the palm of his hand against her clit. Her nerves exploded violently, her muscles twitching from her stomach down to her thighs. As soon as the wave was over she sat up and shoved his pants down his hips. He got the pace she wanted quickly and shoved his fingers into her with greater force, eliciting a loud moan.

JJ wrapped her hand around his hardened length roughly, and when normally it may have hurt, the sheer amount of his arousal only made it send tingles through his spine. The repetitive motion of her hand nearly had him releasing, and he couldn't have that just yet. He grabbed her knees and pushed them apart and up, yielding her glistening core. He attacked her with his mouth, forcing his lips against her and lapping at her with his tongue. It got the desired effect. She was gripping the sheets and writhing against his mouth, pushing her hips against his mouth.

"Oh my god," she panted, letting go of the sheets with one hand and gripping his hair.

Reid pulled her clit into his mouth, sucking and flicking his tongue over it repeatedly. He could feel her thigh muscles coiling again and it only fueled his passion. She shoved his head away from her but before he could question it she pushed him onto his back forcefully and mounted his hips. She grabbed her erection and lowered his slick heat onto it. Reid had to focus not to lose his self-control.

"Fuck," he muttered. Normally he didn't use profanities, but this woman elicited all sorts of reactions from him. A couple curse words wasn't that shocking.

JJ didn't take too much time to adjust before she started moving. First she just moved up and down, but next she was rotating her hips and driving him up the wall. His fingers gripped her hips roughly and he forced his hips up to meet hers. She bucked forward, her hands landing on his chest. They were both breathing heavily, but neither of them were stopping. They sped up their pace, pushing their bodies against each other with bruising force.

Reid could feel his climax approaching, but he wasn't ready to quit just yet. Instead he wrapped an arm around her waist and flipped her onto her back, keeping them connected at all times. In a smooth movement he pulled on of her legs up over his shoulder and began pushing into her rapidly.

JJ worked to meet every one of his thrusts but her body was giving out. Two orgasms already and she was nearing number three—she was spent. But god, being with him was exhilarating.

"Come with me," JJ breathed, feeling her muscles tightening. She was about to hit the point of no return. Reid gave a confirming nod and took his bottom lip between his teeth, giving a couple more powerful drives that sent her over the edge.

He fell over the edge with her, their pulsing, sweaty bodies heaving with the climax.

"Sweet jesus, that was amazing," JJ said once she'd caught her breath. Reid moved to lay next to her, but they were both too warm to cuddle just yet. Instead they both laid there naked for a moment, cooling off.

"We should get dressed in case Derek comes back," Reid said reluctantly. JJ laughed.

"Oh, I get the feeling that he won't be back any time soon," she said suggestively.

"What?" Reid asked incredulously.

"Let's just say I don't think we're the only ones keeping secrets."

They both laughed hysterically for a while. JJ had never been so thankful to fall asleep in his arms.


End file.
